


Bring Me Home

by Scorpiofreak



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2016-03-27
Packaged: 2018-04-16 21:29:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 52,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4640850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scorpiofreak/pseuds/Scorpiofreak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kidnapped on the day of her sister's wedding, Elsa manages to escape her captors only to discover that she's miles away from home and stuck within the heart of trouble. She has her ice powers, but how does half a year of practice measure up to murderers and thieves with a lifetime of crime and sin under their belts? She'll do anything to get home, even put up with the rude, cynical stranger escorting her. Elsa/OC</p>
<p>*Older chapters have been recently re-edited as of January 2016*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intro: Elsa Escapes

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Honestly, I'm not an avid Frozen fan, but for whatever reason, this idea popped into my head one day and much like a lot of my stories, I decided to write it out for fun. In my opinion, it didn't turn out half-bad, so I thought I'd post it for shits and giggles.  
> I know OC's are always a loaded path to take when writing a story, and I know that this section is probably full of a bunch of bad ones (not entirely sure, haven't read that many Frozen fanfics, I'm afraid), but let's see if I can do any better, shall we?
> 
> This story was originally posted on my FanFiction account, but I decided to also post it here from promotional purposes. I'm under the same penname on FanFic: Scorpiofreak.  
> I operate mainly on my FanFiction account, so there's a likely chance there's more chapters posted on there than there are on here.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen or its characters. Any unfamiliar characters though, are obviously mine.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recently Re-edited as of: 1/19/16

_Conceal. Don't feel. Conceal. Don't feel._

Her lifelong mantra.

It never really worked for her then, and it most certainly wasn't going to work for her now.

With her pulse pounding loudly in her ears and her breath coming out in quick, frantic pants, Queen Elsa of Arendelle continued to run as fast as her legs could carry her through the dark forest. She moved through the trees and thick foliage without so much as an inkling of which way would lead her to safety while trying desperately to avoid tripping over a protruding root, or colliding blindly into a tree.

Afraid and panicked, Elsa was running only on instinct. No ice powers, no thoughts, and no emotions other than uncontrollable fear. Running purely on that fight-or-flight instinct. Almost like coronation day, but only a hundred times more terrifying. How unbelievably foolish of her to believe then that she was running for her life. If she had the power to go back in time, she would slap that newly appointed queen across her spoiled face for not realizing sooner how wrong she had been. How truly worse things could have gone for her.

 _This_ was what it felt like to be running for your life. Mad dashing through an unknown forest without a single clue as to where safety was, on a moonless night, after miraculously escaping a pack of dangerous bandits who could notice her absence at any moment and immediately come looking for her.

Elsa's legs were screaming in protest at the sudden unrelenting strain she was putting them through. There had been no proper way for her to prepare them for the unexpected escape. She spent nearly a week doing nothing but curling up in a corner of a small dungeon cell and dreading the day when her captors finally decided to do whatever it was they planned to do with her. And admittedly, Elsa wasn't very physically inclined to begin with, other than the snowball fights she had with Anna and her practice sessions with her powers. There had also been the great freeze on Arendelle, but she didn't exactly have the prospect of pursing bandits dogging her heels to help spur her on at the time. Nobody but Anna had followed her after she had fled from her kingdom. She was a royal, a queen. She was trained to run a kingdom, not soldier through harsh conditions and physical situations that would have even someone like Kristoff huffing and puffing.

It also wasn't a comfort to know that any use of her powers would be an extremely bad idea. Not only was there the possibility of accidentally scaring off any potential help with her "witchcraft", but the bandits were aware of what she could do. Any signs of random placed ice in the snowless forest would be an obvious trail the bandits could use to track her down. It was by sheer luck that Elsa managed to escape the first time. She doubted a second attempt would be possible should this one fail.

The man posted as Elsa's cell guard that evening had been someone she was unfortunately acquainted with beforehand, not only having been present during the bandits' raid on her kingdom and her kidnapping, but also having been posted as her guard a few times before. She was able to easily distinguish _him_ from the other foul-smelling, yellow-toothed brutes just by his disgusting voice. It made the queen want to retch every time she heard it. This particular scoundrel had made it his favorite hobby to verbally harass Elsa every chance he got.

Whenever his heavy footfalls lumbered down the rickety staircase, towards the single chair set up outside the door of Elsa's cell, she could always trust that he would sit down in that chair with a heavy grunt, always holding an unlabeled bottle tightly in his hand with a hooded gaze that would lock on Elsa's balled up form in the corner of her cell. From there, he would proceed to tell her all the disgusting, unspeakable things he would do to her if "The Boss" would let him, and he said it all with as much vivid detail as possible to make her situation even more unbearable than it was before.

The first time he was posted as her guard, which also happened to be her first night in her cell, she had been completely dumbfounded at the man's repulsive words. Being of royal blood and heir to the Arendelle throne, Elsa had obviously _never_ been spoken to in such a vulgar manner. Needless to say, it was more than a little shocking when the man suddenly started speaking of removing her clothing and "marking up her pretty silk skin".

It lost its stun factor after the third time. She had gotten used to the abuse and learned to ignore it, much to the bandit's chagrin. Several times he attempted to remedy this by upping the sickening details, but Elsa spent her whole life shutting out people. Once his words ran their course, he was no match for her indifference. Instead of disgust being written blatantly across her face, Elsa would just bring her hands up to cover her ears and sing softly to herself as she moved her body in a way where she wouldn't have to see the thug's ugly face peering in through the cell bars.

He had never tried to act on his disgusting words, never had the courage to go against "The Boss and his orders" until the night of her escape, but even then Elsa couldn't say with a hundred percent certainty what his exact intentions were. She could only assume they meant pain and suffering for her with the way the thug stared at her with a heated look that would surely haunt the queen's nightmares for years to come. It wouldn't take a genius to guess that she was in trouble.

However, for whatever reason there was explaining why Elsa's lifelong streak of bad luck suddenly decided to give her a break, all the bottles of alcohol the thug had consumed during that night chose to hit him moments before he could turn the key. Her face curled up in disgust as she shut her eyes and covered her nose when the thug doubled over sluggishly and vomited all over the stone floor, slurring indistinctly before passing out in the pile of his own mess with the cell key still embedded in the lock.

It took several seconds for her brain to kickstart itself again, completely thrown by what happened. When it finally stopped stalling, the queen pulled herself to her feet as fast as her stiff limbs would allow, and practically dove for the cell door. She made quick work of the lock and ran out of the dungeon without a single look back.

Luck continued to be on her side when she ran up the staircase and discovered there were no other men guarding the shack-like entrance to the dungeon. After she slipped her way out of that, it was nothing but running. The dungeon appeared to be separate from the bandits' main hideout. It was too dark to see anything distinctive around her, but there was a large cabin a few yards away with bright lights and shouting voices coming from within. She chose to run in the opposite direction.

Her whole body ached painfully at the abuse she was putting it through. Her ragged breathing was wearing thin on the adrenaline that ceased to course through her veins until she was eventually forced to slow down.

"Alright, that's far enough for now." The exhausted queen panted softly to herself in her scratchy, under-used voice as she finally allowed herself to fall to her knees. There was a sharp sting in her already aching kneecaps when they hit the forest floor, but she was beyond caring. "Need to rest."

The chill that blew through the night helped cleanse the smog of despair and fear that hung over her head like Olaf's flurry cloud. The sudden release almost made her sob.

As she slowly lowered her body to the ground and curled into a ball, Elsa marveled at how long and how far she was able to push herself. Her captors spared no opportunity to keep her weakened and submissive while she was trapped in her cell. The food they served her was barely edible, the water was never clean and always had a funny smell to it, every inch of her cell was covered in grime including the ground she slept on, and she has been wearing the same dress for almost a week.

Fortunately, it was one of her more modest dresses and not anything that would "tempt" the brutish band of thugs holding her captive like, heaven forbid, her ice dress. And to think, she had almost worn it that day. If it hadn't been for the fact that the celebration being held the day of her kidnapping was her little sister's _wedding_ , than she would have.

She curled further into herself as the dead grass and dirt around her slowly became coated with glistening frost, not even caring if the haphazard circle would later be used to track her when the bandits finally caught up. The coldness of the ice mixed with the crisp chill of the early Winter night comforted Elsa in ways she never imagined it would. Although the cold never affected her physically in any harmful way, it always served as a constant reminder of her self-isolation during those years she spent cowering behind her bedroom door.

Now, the queen reveled in the feel of it. She greedily soaked up every numbing sensation it had to offer because it felt like freedom again. Just like when she fled from her coronation ball in favor of the North mountain that would later house her ice castle, but only ten times sweeter. The openness off the air around her helped banish the claustrophobic hold that had gripped her within the rusted bars of her cell. The fresh scent of pine and dirt helped rid her senses of the sour smell of filth that caked the moldy walls of the dungeon. And the blessed coldness banished the choking humidity that blanketed the underground room, making it nearly impossible for Elsa to use her ice powers even if she wanted to.

She never tried. She never even gave the idea a second thought after the threat the lead bandit had made to her when she finally gained consciousness again after being knocked out when she was kidnapped.

Elsa hadn't been able to conjure up a decent image of the bandit leader's face due to the fact that her mind had still been sluggish after her slow climb back into the waking world, but it wouldn't have mattered much anyway. The leader had been wearing a blood red hood over his head and a matching scarf around the lower half of his face.

The hooded man's threat still rang clear as a bell.

 _'If I see so much as a sliver ice come from you, I will personally go back to Arendelle, slice open the throats of your sister and brother-in-law, murder every single servant in your castle, and burn your whole goddamn kingdom to the ground. Then, I'll come back and deal with_ you.'

She remembered every syllable the man said, every note in his unwavering voice, and the sadistic glint in his eyes that shined when he spoke of burning her kingdom down. She remembered the fear she felt for Anna and Kristoff's safety and how the bandit forced her to see the truth behind his horrifying words when he twisted his fingers into her blonde hair. He yanked painfully on it with such an unrelenting hold, Elsa thought he was going to rip the pale strands right out of her scalp. His cold, dead eyes bore into hers with complete seriousness, just _daring_ her to test him.

If Elsa ever had more of a reason to "Conceal, don't feel", then that would most definitely be it.

The fear from the bandit leader's threat still weighed heavily on her heart. She knew her escape attempt would cost her dearly if she didn't find help soon. She needed to rest more than anything right now. There was no way she would successfully escape her captors if she kept pushing herself without stopping, no matter how much she wanted to be back home in her kingdom, with Anna.

This was _not_ how things were supposed to go. This was not how she pictured Anna's wedding in her head, the ceremony or the aftermath. She was supposed to be standing off to the side of an altar, watching proudly as her beautiful little sister was joined together with the wonderful man she loved. The man who helped Anna on her journey and ultimately ended up saving the lives of both sisters.

How had the happy festivities diverted so tragically off course without even a single warning?

She thought back to the day before the wedding. The last time she remembered feeling relaxed and content, sharing a close moment with her sister before facing the onslaught of last-minute wedding preparations and the unexpected events that would follow.

~O~

_For all the sadness and grief Elsa had ever caused her, it only seemed natural for the queen to allow Anna to wear their mother's old wedding dress on her big day._

_Expectations would have had the precious garment saved for the day Elsa finally chose a king to rule by her side, but they weren't_ her _expectations and she didn't think twice about venturing into their parent's long-empty bedroom and retrieving the dress from the back of their closet._ _The dazzling smile Anna gave her when Elsa revealed her surprise and presented the dress was an image the queen will never let herself forget._

_"Elsa! You can't be doing what I think you're doing!"_

_"Oh but I am," Elsa smiled at the giddy redhead before prompting Anna to take the dress from her arms. "Go try it on. We need to make sure it fits before the ceremony tomorrow."_

_Anna looked down at the lacey white material of their mother's dress with unrestrained glee. Practically bouncing in place, the beaming princess snatched up the dress as gently as she could in her excitement before speeding off to the other side of her bedroom and disappearing into the closet._ _Elsa flinch when she heard a loud crash and a surprised yelp from within the closet._

_"Be careful, Anna!" She called out. "Don't make a mess!"_

_"I am and I won't!" Anna called back, her voice a little muffled. "It's all good! I just knocked over some boxes!"_

_"Do you need any help?"_

_"No, no! I got it! I'll be out in a minute!"_

_Elsa chuckled softly when she heard another crash and a soft curse come from the closet. She took a seat on the edge of Anna's bed, waiting patiently until she came back out with the dress on. When she finally did, Anna walked slowly from the closet, staring down at the dress that graced her body and marveled the sheer beauty of it, all sheer lace and pristine silk. She looked up at her sister with tearful eyes as she tried to keep herself from whimpering._

_"It's perfect."_

_"Yes, it is," Elsa smiled proudly, watching as the hyperactive woman quickly made her way over to her bedroom mirror to model the dress. "How does it fit?"_

_Anna picked up two handfuls of the dress skirt and gave Elsa a flashy twirl, causing it to flare out stunningly. The small beaded sequins carefully woven into the fabric reflected of the light in the bedroom, making the whole thing sparkle._

_"Perfect! It fits like a glove!"_

_Elsa laced her fingers together in front her and regarded her sister with a soft look of approval. "Wonderful, we won't have to make any adjustments then."_

_Anna barely registered Elsa's words as she continued to watch herself in the mirror. She swished the skirt of the white dress back and forth, simply in awe at how beautiful the dress made her look and feel. Of course nobody could look more beautiful in it than their mother, but Anna felt confident enough to admit inside the privacy of own her head that she made a pretty decent runner-up. She just loved watching herself twirl in the mirror. The way the cream colored underskirt curled around her legs was utterly gorgeous and hypnotic._

_Elsa looked in on the sight with deep fondness. Admittedly, she felt guilty that she wasn't completely in the moment. Her heart was, fully and truly, but her mind was a little preoccupied. It was a great relief for the queen to hear that the dress fit. She had been stressing about that for weeks now. When planning such a joyful, important event, Elsa wanted to be three steps ahead of everything so she could minimize the chances of something problematic happening, like the wedding dress not fitting the bride. But at the same time, she wanted her gift to Anna to be a last-minute surprise. She remedied this by having the royal tailor on standby outside in the hallway._

_The queen made a mental note among dozens of other mental notes to inform the tailor that his services wouldn't be needed for the bride. She then made another mental note to make sure they wouldn't be needed for the groom as well, but that could wait until later._

_"Thank you again for letting me wear mama's dress," Anna smiled bashfully at Elsa through the mirror, bringing the queen from her thoughts before they had a chance to veer off into endless tangents. "I know tradition says that this is supposed to be an honor meant for the eldest daughter, w-which is you of course, but-"_

_She held up a hand to silence her. "Forget the tradition, Anna. I'm not going to be wearing it anytime soon and you look absolutely beautiful in it."_

_"Thanks," Her shoulders rolled up to her ears and a light pink blush spread across the bridge of her freckled nose. "What are you going to wear?"_

_"The blue dress I have hanging on my wardrobe door," Elsa replied absentmindedly as she start rifling through the dress box laying on Anna's bed for the accessories that went along with the dress._

_Anna knotted her brow in thought, thinking back while her sister fished out the wispy veil and sparkly tiara that went with her dress. It took her a few minutes to remember which dress she was talking about, and when she finally did her nose twisted up a little._

_The dress hanging on Elsa's closet door had been remarkably plain, especially compared to her other dresses. It consisted of a black bodice and a blue skirt with silver designs on the front of her chest and bottom of the skirt. The trimming on the bodice matched the rosemaling designs and the sleeves were respectfully thin. They would hang loosely off Elsa's exposed shoulders and leave her arms bare, but it would still display a sense of modesty and tastefulness that was expected of a queen._

_"But that one is so...plain," Anna trailed off. "Everybody's supposed to go all out on weddings! You have much prettier dresses than that in your wardrobe."_

_"Yes, more than I will ever have a chance to wear in one lifetime, but it's not my job to look stunning and radiant tomorrow. It's yours."_

_"But..."_

_"Tomorrow is your day," Elsa cut in, reminding her. "Much like the flowers and lights, I'll just be a background decoration."_

_Anna gasped. "Don't talk like that, Elsa! You're one of the most important people in the whole world! I could never have a wedding that didn't include you!"_

_She laughed, holding up a hand. "I just meant that most of the attention will be on you and Kristoff instead of me for once, so don't worry. It'll be a welcomed reprieve."_

_The two sisters shared a laugh. They smiled brightly at each other until Anna looked down at her dress again and let out a soft sigh._

_"Well, I'm glad the wedding dress issue has been solved. I was starting to get a little worried when the tailor only started fitting Kristoff for his suit. But there's still one big problem we're overlooking though."_

_"Oh?_ _And what's that?"_

_"If I'm wearing mama's dress on my wedding day, what are YOU going to wear on your wedding day?"_

_Elsa halted her search for the veil and tiara and looked up at her sister with a funny look on her face. "What am I going to what on my what day?"_

_"You heard what I said! Stop pretending," Anna laughed. "W_ _e can't both wear the same dress. I mean, we_ could _do that, but that would be kinda silly. We would have to make you a brand new dress. We could make with lace and silk like mine, and make a different color. Be a little daring with it, because who's going to say no to the queen? Maybe make it a nice ice blue color with a pleated skirt and - Oh! You could make with your powers!"_

_Elsa let out a genuine laugh at her sister's ramblings, bringing a hand up near her mouth and letting her shoulders shake freely before stopping short when she saw Anna's face and realized she was being serious. She gave her an exasperated look and frowned. Leave it to Anna to be so hopelessly optimistic._

_"Oh Anna, I don't think that's something we're ever going to have to worry about."_

_It was a sad thing to admit, but Elsa felt her heart go out more to the crestfallen look on Anna's face than the very likely possibility that she was fated to rule her kingdom alone. It wasn't something she spent a lot of time worrying about because she honestly didn't care. Whether she ruled alone or with a king, it didn't matter to her just as long as her kingdom was being taken care of and she was given time to properly adjust to any changes. She avoided letting things overwhelm her like the plague these days._

_"Well, not with that attitude we won't!" Anna proclaimed with a huff. She put her hands on her hips and shook her head with disapproval. "You need to start thinking more positively."_

_"Anna..." Elsa started before letting out a sigh. "Let's not talk about this. This is your time. We deal with your problems for right now, not mine. Now turn around, let's see how this dress looks when it's correctly fastened up."_

_Anna reluctantly did as she was told and turned around, giving Elsa access to the ribbons that ran along the back of the dress. "So does that mean we can talk about it_ after _the wedding?"_

_"No," Elsa replied, dragging the word out as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her hands reached up and began to work at the bindings of the dress, occasionally pulling a little harder than necessary in her annoyance. "I rather not talk about it ever, if it's all the same to you."_

_"But-"_

_"No buts."_

_Flinching slightly at her sister's sharp tone, Anna watched Elsa work quietly through the mirror._

_"There's hope for everybody, you know."_

_Elsa's eyes flickered up from her task. "Excuse me?"_

_"If there's somebody out there for a total train wreck like me, than there's definitely someone out there for you."_

_"Anna, I know the whole finding one's "soul mate" is your thing, but please keep in mind it isn't for everybody, okay? I've got more important things to worry about right now than dating. Heaven knows it'll be a dark day when the Arendelle council finally brings it up."_

_"Oh whatever," Anna sighed wistfully, squirming when Elsa pulled a ribbon too tight. "I just love you to bits, that's all!"_

_"I know you do and I love you too," Elsa smiled warmly at her sister before looking back down at her hands. "Now stop fidgeting! We need to get this done!"_

_"Okay, okay!" Anna whined loudly before laughing. "I just want you to be happy! Is that so wrong?"_

_"I am happy, Anna."_

_She looked over her shoulder at her sister with a hopeful smile. "The happiest?"_

_Elsa nodded as she picked up the tiara and veil from the ground next to their feet and placed it on top of Anna's head. She adjusted the tiara until it was perfect and gently smoothed out the long veil so it flared out behind Anna. The queen then handed her sister the long, white arm sleeves that went along with the dress and waited for Anna slipped them on._

_With Anna's wedding outfit more or less complete with exception of her hair and jewelry, Elsa smiled proudly again at the young bride in the mirror before reaching up and wrapping her arms around Anna's shoulders from behind in a warm hug._

_"The happiest," She promised._

~O~

Elsa was pulled from her memories by a faint sound coming from behind her, far in the distance but steadily growing louder. She quickly sat up and focused all her attention on her surroundings.

At first, there was nothing. Not even the sound of the wind blowing through the bare trees. Everything was dead quiet until she heard it again. The sound of-

Dogs.

A lead ball of panic dropped in Elsa's stomach when she recognized the approaching sound of barking dogs.

_'No, no, no! They've noticed that I've escaped!'_

Elsa climbed stiffly to her feet and gathered up the front of her dress before breaking out into another run. Her legs screamed in protest, but she ignored them and kept pushing forward. She still had no idea where she was going. It was too dark and hopelessness clung to her skin like a disease as she ran. No matter how bleak the path ahead looked, she knew it was a thousand times better than what was waiting for her back at the bandits' hideout. She kept the terrifying thought well in mind as she continued to run with every ounce of strength still left inside her body.

It wasn't enough though, she knew that. Why wasn't it ever enough?

She could hear the dogs getting closer as she fled. She risked a quick look back and felt her panic skyrocket when she saw the faint glow of torches in the distance. The small balls of ominous lighting were drawing just as close as the barking dogs were. Elsa could feel the familiar sensation of ice dancing along her fingertips as her fear increased and she had to stifle a whimper. She prayed that she wasn't leaving behind a path of icy footsteps on the forest floor.

_'No! Not now! Don't do this to me now! They'll see it and they'll know! I need to get help, I need to get home, I need to-'_

Elsa let out a startled cry when the ground suddenly disappeared from underneath her feet and she found herself plummeting downwards. She felt the air leave her lungs as she barreled down a slope of loose dirt and small rocks, her body rolling over itself like a snowball rolling down a hill. For several seconds her world spun until it came to a sudden stop and she landed in a pile of dead leaves at the base of a large cluster of trees.

Battered and bruised, the young queen laid sprawled out on her back among the orange and red leaves. She coughed hard as her body struggled to recover from its fall, greedily sucking in mouthfuls of crisp air back into her aching lungs. From the top of the slope she had just fallen down, Elsa could hear the barks and howls of the dogs passing over where she lay motionless on the forest floor. She let out a soft sob of relief when the light from the torches and the shouts from the bandits passed her by too. Her sudden topple and roll through the dirt must have helped thrown the dogs off course.

She knew it wouldn't last long. Once the dogs picked up her change in direction and the bandits realized her trail had gone cold, they would backtrack.

However, despite knowing this, she couldn't find the strength within her to pick herself up and keep running. Her fall had been the final straw. She was officially spent. She couldn't move even if her life depended on it, which in this case it very well did. She probably couldn't even move if the snarling muzzles of the bandits' mutts were inches from her face.

She continued to lay on the ground, blinking slowly up at the cloudy sky and absently tracing the faint outline of the moon with her half-lidded eyes. The sounds of her pursuers faded further and further in the distance until there was nothing but the sounds of a running stream a few yards to her right, and leaves scrapping against the ground as a cold wind swept through the forest.

As Elsa laid half buried under the pile of leaves, her mind flashed back to the very beginning of this nightmare. The day of Anna and Kristoff's wedding, just after they exchanged their heartfelt vows. The bandits came out of nowhere, with absolutely no warning. The wedding ceremony was held in the garden of the kingdom instead of the church, as Anna requested only moments after being proposed to months earlier. She wanted to make the best of the good weather before Winter settled in. The bandits seemed to rain down from the top of the castle and glide unnaturally over the high hedge walls of the garden. No one was prepared for the attack and a widespread panic broke out among the guests. They had scattered like scared hens as the bandits begun their raid.

Elsa felt her heart hitch painfully in her throat when she remembered the last time she saw Anna. When the chaos broke out, the royals at the altar dashed for safety with Kristoff and Sven in the lead. They knocked back any attacking bandits that blocked their path with broad shoulders and antlers while the queen and princess trailed closely behind. They were still far off from their exit when Anna suddenly tripped over the bottom of their mother's wedding dress, her life-long clumsiness rearing its ugly head at the most inopportune moment of all time.

The leader of the bandits went straight for the queen, taking full advantage of her distracted state and cutting down any guards that got in his way. Elsa had been too focused on ushering Anna and Olaf towards the garden entrance of the kingdom to realize that someone was coming up behind her. She felt an explosion of pain erupt in the back of her skull and spots flooded her vision as she fell to the ground like a sack of bricks. She tried to move her arms and legs, but they felt heavier than lead. The last thing she remembered seeing before blacking out was the terrified face of her sister as she struggled against the hold Kristoff had around her waist, fighting like a wild animal while screaming Elsa's name and reaching out desperately with a hand that only grasped air. The ice harvester shot Elsa a helpless look as he continued to haul the struggling princess back into the safety of the castle.

Now, laying in a dark forest miles away from her home and sister, Elsa could see the familiar blackness eating away at the corners of her vision. She remembered sending a silent prayer above to whomever may be willing to listen that Anna would remain safe until Elsa found her way home again. She also prayed that the bandit leader wouldn't get the chance to make good on his promise to the ice queen.

After that, Elsa remembered nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I usually do, if you like this story, I recommend you follow it on FanFiction instead of here. I update more regularly on there. I'm under the same pen name: Scorpiofreak.


	2. Tobias and Lollie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen or its characters.
> 
> Recently Re-edited as of: 1/20/16

Elsa snapped back into consciousness with a gasp.

The leaves and dead twigs that collected around her were tossed up into the air when the top half of Elsa's body sprung up in sudden alertness. Her aching chest heaved as she panted, unable to discern where she was. Her eyes were wide and nearly popping out of her head as they blindly scanned her surroundings, not truly seeing anything and processing nothing in her shock.

The dry leaves floated down around her, collecting in her blonde hair and falling into her lap. For a moment, she watched a lone, yellow leaf twirl and spin with a soft wisp of air before it slowly floated down, inches from her face. Her blue eyes blinked with confusion, having no idea where she was and how she got there. When the leaf faintly brushed along the tip of Elsa's nose, the foreign sensation sliced through the fog in her mind, causing her to reel backwards out of the pile of leaves scattered around her.

She scrambled across the ground on her bottom with her legs kicking frantically until her back hit the trunk of the tree behind her. She let out another gasp and looked up at the bare trees towering above her with their jagged branches looking like ominous claws reaching out for flesh in her disoriented panic. Her body was still poised in the heat of the moment, but her mind lagged three steps behind as the memory of her escape flashed behind her eyes. Her body urged her to run from danger that wasn't there. She tore away from the trees as fast as she could, leaving behind a burst of frost that coated the tree and ground.

In her haste, she had forgotten to hick up the skirt of her dress. The filthy blue material snagged beneath her shoes and she stumbled forward with her hands moving out in front of her, cushioning the impact when she lost her balance and fell flat on her stomach.

For a moment, Elsa laid on the ground, panting heavily. Her body went limp with defeat and her head turned to the side so she wouldn't inhale the dirt that puffed up around her when she fell. She just laid there, her brain processing and her body trembling. When the adrenaline started winding down again, the sounds of the forest reached her ears. She heard the sound of a running water. It was a welcoming sound that prompted her to raise her head with a small groan. Her eyes landed on a small stream a few feet ahead of her.

The sight of the stream reminded Elsa instantly how bone-dry her mouth and throat were. She would've literally jumped at the chance to finally have a drink of fresh water, but since her body still felt heavy as lead, she lifted her body up with trembling arms and slowly crawled her way towards the babbling brook. When she was close enough to dip her hands into the cool water, she did so quickly to avoid accidentally freezing it solid.

The water tasted like heaven as she drank handfuls of it as quickly as she could without making herself sick. She drank until the dryness in her mouth was soothed and her lungs screamed for air. There was a significant boost in her morale once she had her fill, and for a moment, everything didn't seem as bad as it did only a few moments ago...

Until she caught sight of her reflection in the water and discovered she looked like a walking disaster.

The whites of her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, the red clashing unpleasantly with the ice blue. There were dark bags underneath her eyes from the lack of sleep she suffered during her imprisonment. The pale skin of her face was covered in a thin layer of grime along with her hands and fingernails. Her pink lips were dry and chapped. Her platinum blonde hair could only be described as a rat's nest, an out of control lump that would take hours to tame. The elegant, braided up-do she had it styled in for Anna's wedding became more undone and unkempt throughout her stint in captivity, but now it was completely free of all ribbons and bindings. It was a mass of tangles and knots with the shorter strands up near her face sticking out at odd angles.

There was almost no resemblance to the delicate, regal figure that always greeted Elsa through her bedroom vanity mirror. Under any other, more _normal,_ circumstances, the snow queen might have relished in the idea, but right now it only made her eyes water as she brought a hand up towards her mouth to hold back a broken sob.

Suddenly frantic again, the queen dunked her hands into the stream and brought up handfuls of water to splash her face with. She was desperate to get the filth off. Desperate to make her appearance reflect some facet of her old self again. Desperate to wash away the memories of Anna's crashed wedding, her own kidnapping, the bandit leader's threat on her sister's life, the possibility he was on his way to Arendelle _right now_ to fulfill that threat, and just the past week in its entirety.

She only managed to get most of the dirt off her face and pat down her hair so it hung limp in unwashed strands before her hysteria finally caused a physical reaction and frost erupted around her wrists where she had them submerged in the water. In seconds, the surface of the stream clouded over with a solid layer of jagged ice. Elsa pulled away with a gasp and quickly tore her hands out of the water before the ice could harden. She watched with wide eyes as the ice spread along the entire stream.

The queen gathered the skirt of her dress in her hands and hiked the ends up so she could hop over the frozen stream. She ran for as long as she could without exhausting herself further until she eventually slowed down to a brisk walk. Her eyes trailed nervously along the path in front of her. The forest was silent and empty, there was nobody there but her. Just poor little Elsa and her racing thoughts.

One foot in front of the other, she told herself. That was the only thing she decided to focus on, everything else could wait. Just putting one foot in front of the other. If she did that enough, she was bound to come across a house or a town sooner or later, somewhere she could find help and maybe a nice place to sit down and rest for a while.

She walked until she saw a light in the distance. It was impossible to miss among the bare trees and dark shadows of the late night. Her breath hitched at the sight and her feet moved faster, bringing her closer to the little light that slowly grew bigger the closer she got until she was able to make out a large cabin. She gasped at her discovery, unsure whether to keep moving or let herself fall to her knees and cry. She chose to do the former, but only until reality set in again and she stopped dead in her tracks among the cluster of trees surrounding the cabin's yard.

Hope blossomed anew when Elsa first saw the cabin, but now that she thought about it, she realized she had no idea who lived in that cabin. Of course she hoped it would be someone who could help her, someone who could provide sanctuary from the possibly still pursuing bandits, but that was just an assumption. Was she really in a position to assume anything right now?

On the one hand, the forest seemed to be endless with a scarce amount of foliage for her to hide within should the bandits and their mutts pick up on her trail again. This could be her one and only chance to get help and elude capture again. She could very well be _miles_ away from the nearest town. But on the other hand, the inhabitants of the cabin could be just as dangerous as the bandits she was running from. By seeking their help, there was about a fifty-fifty chance she could just be trading one set of abusers for another.

It was a tough decision with the crux of the problem being that she wouldn't know if she made the right choice until she knocked on the door.

However, before her mind could drift off into another repetitive circle of thought on all the different ways something like that could blow up in her face, the sound of clopping hooves and an approaching carriage pulled Elsa's attention away from the cabin. She looked towards the opposite end of the property where another glowing light moved along the well-traveled path leading towards the cabin. Her eyes widened at the flickering firelight, seemingly hypnotized by it as a horse pulling a wagon full of hay came into view. The queen shook herself from her stupor and ducked behind a nearby tree.

When the wagon came to a stop on the edges of the cabin's yard, the glowing lantern moved from the front to the side as a man climbed down with an audible grunt. From where Elsa lurked, she could see he was an older gentleman. He stood tall and sturdy with long, silver-white hair, pulled back from his eyes and tied into a ponytail at the base of his neck. A short beard grew along the bottom half of his face while his slightly hunched over, but still imposing, form was clad in a long, wool coat.

He brought a hand up to his mouth and let out a whistle through his fingers. Immediately, the sound was followed by a bark that rang out loudly through the silent night. Elsa cringed, her mind already taking on a bad association to the sound.

A dog popped up from within the pile of hay and jumped down to answer its master's call. It was one of those sheep herding dogs with white and cream-colored fur. It moved around the man's legs gleefully with its barks high-pitched and its tail wagging, but he ignored his pet's pleas for late night playtime as he stepped around it and moved towards the horse hooked up to the wagon. He set the lantern down on the ground and worked on undoing the horse's reigns.

When the questionable pair fell into silence with the man working and the dog laying down to wait, Elsa decided to move out from behind her tree and inch a little closer to them, feeling the need to do something other than stare vacantly from the shadows and wait for a miracle to fall into her lap.

She tried her best to stay as quiet as possible, but stealth wasn't one of the lessons Elsa had shoved down her throat as a child. True, she was a lot more inconspicuous than Anna, whose clumsy footfalls could be heard from miles away, but even Elsa knew she made a stupid mistake by focusing too much on the man and his dog, and not enough on where she was stepping. She let out a quiet gasp when a dry twig snapped underneath her foot.

At the sound of the snapping twig, the man abruptly stopped tugging on the horse's bindings while the his collie's ears perked up in attention. It raised its black nose into the air and sniffed before turning its head in Elsa's direction and growling. Cursing her foolishness, the queen quickly dipped behind another tree. The man looked over his shoulder and picked up his lantern, his eyes scanning the dark forest around them. When his dog's growls turned into barks, he unbuttoned his coat and pulled back one side to reveal a small hatchet hanging on his leather belt. He pulled it from its loop and raised it up in defense.

"Who's there?" He called out, his voice deep and slightly hoarse from age.

Elsa stood rooted in her spot behind the tree with her back pressed against the trunk. She shut her eyes tight as the dog's barks continued. She debated whether she should stay hidden and pray the man would disregard the sound and move on, or show herself. When the man's voice sounded out again, the queen carefully peeked around the tree trunk, unable to help herself. She was thankful the light from his lantern wasn't bright enough to expose her hiding spot.

"Come out where I can see you!" He demanded. His face was hard and serious, his breath coming out in short puffs. His grip on the hatchet tightened, making it clear that he was ready and willing to use it if he needed to. "Now! I won't ask again!"

Elsa took a deep breath and looked towards the stars for courage.

The dog's barks died down to warning growls when the queen began to slowly walk forward from the shadows. The man turned to face her direction with his hatchet still raised when he heard the sound of her approaching footsteps and the bottom of her dress scraping across the forest floor. She had her arms wrapped tightly around her, a gesture done more for comfort than anything else. It helped her play the part of a freezing young maiden in trouble better, which was a half-truth.

When the man caught sight of a shadow coming towards him, he squinted through the darkness with a scowl on his bearded face, but it immediately gave way to confusion and surprise when Elsa came into full view and the man got a good look at her trembling form.

"What in the world..." He trailed off softly as his stormy grey eyes took in the battered young woman.

His steely gaze trailed over her ruined party dress, dirt-caked skin, dazzling blue orbs, and the platinum hair that hung in her face and cascaded over her shoulders. She stopped several feet from the man and his dog, standing on the very edge of the yellow lighting from his lantern. She was close enough for him to see that she was unarmed, but far enough for her to get a running start if her doubts proved to be true and he tried to attack her.

Neither of them moved as they stood there looking, sizing each other up.

Elsa spoke first, breaking the silence.

"Please," She almost flinched at the sound of her own voice. "Please, I need help."

Feeling a little more confident that he wasn't going to immediately charge her, she took another step forward and held up a hand in front of her, but stepped back with her hand back against her chest again when his dog bared its teeth at her. The man quickly shushed the dog before lowering his hatchet and placing it back on his belt.

"What on God's green earth are you doing out here in the middle of the night, child?"

"I need help," Elsa repeated with a small hiccup. She could feel fresh tears sting her eyes as she struggled to keep her emotions in check, but failing miserably. "I've been running through the forest trying to find someone to help me I was taken from my home and held captive I have no idea where I am There's these men who are chasing after me and I really need-"

"Alright, alright, stop," He demanded gently while holding up a hand. "I need to you to slow down. I can't understand what you're trying to tell me. Just take a deep breath."

She nodded with a stifled sob and did as she was told. He gave her an approving smile.

"That's better. Now, what were you saying about men chasing you?"

"They're bandits! They kidnapped me from my kingdom and held me captive!"

"Bandits?" The man echoed, his brow knotted tightly. His gaze moved from Elsa's face towards the direction she came from. He seemed to be thinking deeply about something, his expression hard while his eyes searched the forest until a flash of recognition passed over his face.

"Yes," Elsa nodded with another hiccup. She didn't like the sudden change in his demeanor. It went from concerned to emotionless at an alarming instant. "They kept me in a dungeon not too far from here. I managed to escape them, but they could be back at anytime and I need somewhere-"

"I can't help you," The man cut her off suddenly, turning his back to her.

She blinked owlishly at him, unsure if she had just heard him correctly. "W-what?"

"I can't help you," He repeated, a little harsher.

Elsa stared at him with disbelief as he unhooked the rest of his horse's bindings. Her brain lagged for a moment, wondering where this sudden change came from. He seemed so willing to help her just moments before. What happened?

"I-I don't understand."

He refused to look at her. "You should move on now. There's nothing for you here."

She continued to stare at the old man's back, speechless. He picked up his lantern and whistled sharply for his animals to follow him as he walked towards his home with a noticeable limp in his right leg. Seeing that he fully intended to turn her away, Elsa catapulted into action, hiking up her dress skirt again and running to catch up to him.

"Wait!" She called. "Please stop! I need help!"

He stopped walking and rounded on her with a stern expression. He looked straight ahead at her downtrodden face, but Elsa could tell he was still trying to avoid her eyes, knowing that his abrupt brush off wasn't a sudden act of apathy on his part. No matter how much he tried to make it look like it. Something about what she had said disturbed him, enough to make him shut down and refuse her.

"Then I suggest you keep moving. There should be a town a few miles that way."

He pointed his lantern North, but Elsa only shook her head.

"I won't make it."

"That's not my problem," He said, turning away again and stepping up on to the porch of his house. "Just go now. You'll bring nothing but trouble if you stay."

Elsa stood frozen in place as she watched the man climb his porch steps. Her eyes were big and frightful as panic clawed away at her insides, making her feel even more sick to her stomach than she was before.

" _Please!_ " She cried, dropping the skirt of her dress before bringing both hands together in front of her. If her situation hadn't been so desperate, she might have marveled at how much things had changed for her; a fully established, regal queen standing in the middle of nowhere, broken down and helpless and literally begging a stranger to take her in. "If they find me, they'll kill me!"

The man stopped again at her pleas for sanctuary. He didn't turn around, but it was obvious his cold decision - although ideal in the case of his own survival - was making it difficult for him to walk away, pitching what he _shouldn't_ do against what he _couldn't_ do.

He _shouldn't_ invite the young woman into his home because of the obvious bullseye she had pinned to her back. Her unfortunate business with the deadly bandits could very well become _his_ unfortunate business if he were to be caught helping her, which would mean trouble for him that a man of his age really didn't need to deal with. However, despite the red flags in his head trying to dissuade him from doing something stupid, what kind of man would he be if he rejected her? He _shouldn't_ get involved, but he _couldn't_ condemn a mere child to death just because it would be more convenient for him in the long-haul.

What kind of a man would he be? Not a very proud one.

It all boiled down to a crippling, internal conflict between his head and his heart. A conflict involving potentially unfavorable outcomes on both sides.

"Please," Elsa repeated in a soft whisper, her voice trembling. "I don't want to die out here."

Silence fell over them again as the queen's words hung thickly in the air, the only sounds being the rustling of dead leaves in a cold breeze and the soft whines of the man's dog as it waited near the front door of the cabin. Then he looked back over his shoulder at her. His faux indifference slowly melted away as his eyes finally met hers to reveal the return of the kindness and warmth she saw in him when he first spoke to her.

At long last, the man exhaled deeply from his nose and raised a hand to rub tiredly at his eyes as his shoulders sagged in defeat.

"Come inside," He sighed, stepping to his left to allow Elsa into his home.

"T-thank you," She stuttered, just barely holding back a grateful sob as she gathered her skirts again and stepped on to the porch. "Thank you so, so much!"

The man only muttered to himself while he watched the young woman brush past him into the warm haven of his home. Once she was safely inside, his aged eyes quickly swept over the surrounding forest again with a hardened glare, his gaze lingering in the direction Elsa came from. He muttered under his breath again, sending a silent challenge into the cold night before stepping into his home and closing the door behind him.

~O~

"Go sit over by the fire there and warm yourself up," The man instructed as he bolted the front door. "I'll heat some stew."

Elsa only nodded as she made her way to the lit fireplace and sat in the chair closest to it. She didn't really need to warm up, but the soothing heat drifting from the fireplace did help calm her nerves a bit.

"I'm Tobias and that's Lollie," The man gestured to himself before doing the same to the dog hovering excitedly around Elsa's chair, looking for their new guest's attention now that she didn't perceive the young woman as a threat to her master.

The queen reached down tentatively patted the dog on her head. Even though "Lollie" clearly wasn't anything like the bandits' rabid pack of mutts, she never really had any experience with dogs before her whole kidnapping fiasco. When they were little and Elsa first started isolating herself from her sister, she remembered hearing Anna's loud voice bouncing off every wall in the castle, constantly begging their parents to get her a puppy to help ease the void that Elsa left behind. They never relented their resolve no matter how much she begged. Now, whether that was because of Elsa's volatile ice powers, or simply Anna's lack of attention span making her an unfit pet owner, she could only guess.

"I'm Elsa."

Tobias didn't respond as he started putting firewood in the nearby cast-iron stove, but he made a low noise of acknowledgement as he worked. She looked around the scarcely decorated cabin while weaving her fingers together in her lap. It didn't look as if anybody else lived in the cabin, just the man and his dog. She eyed the cream collie laying at her feet for a few moments before looking towards Tobias again.

The only way she could think to describe him was grandfatherly. A wise, tired grandfather looking for peace and quiet but never seeming to find any. She felt a pang of guilt for dragging him into her mess. If she actually had a choice in the situation, she would have avoided other people altogether. If she could've used her ice powers without fearing for Anna's life, then she would have had a fighting chance against the bandits, but the frustrating truth was, she didn't and she couldn't.

And of course, there was the whole matter of Elsa being a queen.

"Alright then," Tobias spoke as he dished up a bowl of heated stew and brought it over to her. She took the offered bowl with a small smile and a quiet "Thank you" as he sat down in the chair on the other side of the fireplace with a tired sigh. "So, _Elsa_ , where are you from?"

She glanced up at him before looking back down at the small pieces of vegetables floating in her bowl, biting her bottom lip in thought.

"The kingdom of Arendelle," She replied, deciding honesty was the best policy in terms of where she was from, but only selectively when it came to her royal title. She would have to keep that to herself for now.

A curious look passed over Tobias' bearded face. "Arendelle? You were taken all the way from _Arendelle_?"

"Is...is that far away? I mean, far from where we are now?"

Apprehension boiled hotly in the pit of her stomach. One of the many things the bandits deprived her of during her kidnapping was awareness of her surroundings outside her many holding cages. She knew they must have taken her far from her kingdom's territory, but she couldn't gauge exactly how far. They kept her unconscious for most of the trip and tightly locked away somewhere dark during her rare moments awake. She prayed though, that they hadn't taken her too far.

"It's more than far, my dear," He admitted, crushing Elsa's hope into oblivion. He seemed to realize this and offered up the only comfort he could think of. "You haven't been taken out of the country though. You're far from your kingdom, but still close, in a sense."

"Please, I can't stress enough how important it is that I return home."

"I would take you myself, but I'm just not as young as I used to be and my leg makes it difficult for me to travel," He told her regretfully as he patted his bad knee. "And I'm afraid with Winter rolling in so early this year, I don't think many folks around here will be too inclined to make such a journey either. Not to mention this whole business with these bandits. You'll be more hard-pressed finding someone to take you because of that reason alone, especially if it's the troop of scoundrels I think it is. The weather and the distance of the journey is always up for negotiation if you go to the right people, but Dag and his goons just complicate the narrative."

"Dag?" Elsa echoed.

"Perhaps I can set you up with a room at the local town inn?" He offered, ignoring her so flawlessly that she had trouble telling if it was intentional or not. "We could get you a job at one of the taverns to occupy your time until Winter's over. We should have no trouble finding someone to take you in Spring."

"Spring?" Elsa's eyes widened. "Oh no, no, no, I can't wait that long. It'll be too late by then. I need to get home as soon as possible!"

Tobias sighed. "Well, then I don't know what else to say. That's the best I can do for you."

"Yes I realize that and I'm eternally grateful for any help you're willing to give me," She replied. "But I _cannot_ wait until Spring. I can't even wait a week. I need to get home _immediately_. Please, it's a matter of life and death!"

"If that's the case, I can't help you," The man stated bluntly after he fished out a leather-bound flask from his trouser pockets and took a drink from it.

He didn't even bother asking what exactly qualified her situation as life and death, or why the bandits were even after her in the first place. He wasn't curious enough to get any more involved with the young woman than he already was. The sooner he could get her situated enough to move on, the better it'll be for everybody. He molded over the harsh taste of whiskey on his tongue for a moment as he thought of other options they could consider. She definitely wasn't going to make things easy for him, that was for damn sure. It took him a few minutes, but eventually an idea came to mind, along with the unwelcomed face of the only person Tobias could think of ballsy enough to take on the challenge Elsa that was unintentionally presenting.

"But I can take you to someone who can," He finally added.

"Who?" Elsa asked. Stupid question. As if she would actually know anyone from an area so far away from her kingdom.

"There's no guarantee that he will help," The man warned, ignoring her again. "You have very bad men after you, young lady. Men who have the tendency to take things a little too personal. They could bring great misfortune to anybody they catch trying to help you. It's a big risk that most men around these parts won't take no matter what reward is offered. But the man I know is a good sort...most of the time. He makes a living doing things other people aren't willing to. If you truly are that desperate to make the trip, I'll take you to talk to him, see if you can work something out."

"Yes, I am," Elsa replied without missing a beat. "Please take me to him."

"I will," He assured her with a coaxing hand before adding, "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? But-"

"Yes tomorrow," He repeated firmly. "Take the night to clean yourself up and rest. The wind is starting to pick up again and the trip into town is nearly an hour. It's too cold for you and me to be traveling."

Elsa opened her mouth to tell him that she didn't care about any of that, to _demand_ he take her into town tonight, but she caught herself when she realized why such a statement wouldn't blow over too well for two reasons. One, if what Tobias was saying was true, then he was risking a lot by bringing her into his home. She was completely at his mercy. She wasn't in the position to demand anything from him, especially since she decided not to disclose her royal status to him.

And two, if she adamantly insisted that traveling in freezing cold weather for an hour in a short sleeve, ruined party dress wouldn't bother her, then there was a very likely chance Tobias would ask her _why_ , and for obvious reasons, she couldn't answer that.

"Alright," She reluctantly agreed. "Tomorrow then."

He smiled at her. "Good."

~O~

After another bowl of soup and some mild conversation, Tobias showed Elsa to a room on the second floor. It was a quaint little bedroom, much like the rest of the cabin, with plain furniture and basic toiletries Tobias told her she could use to clean herself up.

She looked around the room, noting to herself that the decor appeared more feminine than the rest of the cabin. There was a small bed in the corner with a flowery, lavender quilt and a little white vanity in another corner with hair combs and half-empty bottles of perfume organized neatly along its top. There was also a dark wood wardrobe against the furthest wall that Elsa suspected was full of dresses and skirts. She felt a little uncomfortable using the room, seeing that it obviously belonged to someone else, to some other girl, but she noticed the thick layer of dust coating nearly every surface in the room. It may have once belonged to someone else, but it was clearly abandoned now.

The queen briefly wondered who might have lived there with Tobias as she made her way towards the vanity and sat down in front of the oval mirror. She flinched again at her reflection, quickly getting to work with fixing her appearance so she could look like herself again.

As she gently combed her fingers through her hair, Elsa couldn't help but realize that she had taken several things in her life for granted. One of them being the safety and security that her castle home always proved. Regardless of how she might still feel about being called wicked names, or being shunned by her people, or (heaven forbid) locked away in chains again - nothing could quite beat the horror she felt when she found herself in the deadly hands of unknown attackers.

They were dangerous, unpredictable men who had the low sense of human morality, the perfect opportunity, and the lack of empathy to enact any sort of heinous torture on her that tickled their sick fancy. Which for Elsa, being a young woman with wealth and royal power - the list was almost endless. She missed the thick, sturdy walls of her castle with an overwhelming passion. Even her lonely ice castle provided a small sense of security that the queen would've done anything to feel right now.

Another thing she took for granted was the luxuries that came along with being a royal. Edible food, clear drinking water, and clean clothing would be an absolute Godsend for most people who weren't fortunate enough to have a high title in life, but Elsa was downright spoiled. She certainly wasn't uppity about it. She wasn't a conceited and selfish queen who rubbed her privileged upbringing in other people's faces. That wasn't the kind of ruler her parents raised her to be. But as heir to the throne, Elsa wanted for nothing when it came to materialistic things; beautiful dresses made of the finest material, freshly prepared meals, and a safe bed to sleep in every night. It wasn't until all those things were gone that Elsa started to notice how accustomed she was to them.

It went without saying that the bandits didn't go out of their way to properly cater to the queen's pampered lifestyle. Not that Elsa ever expected them to. That would've just been ridiculous.

Another thing she took for granted was her sister, but then again, she had already been doing that for years, hadn't she? Her mind always inevitably drifted back to Anna, no matter what kind of situation she was in. It always came back to Anna. She wondered where the hyperactive redhead was now and what she was doing. She prayed Anna was safe, gathered around the fireplace in Elsa's study with Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf, as far from danger as possible.

The queen closed her eyes as a mental picture of her loved ones began to develop in her head. They were all arguing with each other while planning Elsa's grand rescue. The queen smiled softly at the thought. She could picture each one of them so clearly in her head.

Anna would be nothing but stubborn in a situation like this, determined to escape the walls of the castle and set off in hopes of finding some clue as to where those wedding-crashing, sister-napping bandits ran off to. She would listen to no discouraging pleas for her to stay inside the castle from loyal servants like Kai or Gerda. If it had been entirely up to the feisty princess, she would've mounted a horse and rode off into the unknown days ago, to seek out Elsa once again and bring her home.

That was where Kristoff would come in. The more level-headed ice harvester would duly point out all the flaws in whatever half-baked plan Anna came up with while sitting back in his chair with a cocky, "You-have-no-idea-what-you-are-talking-about" smile. Time would be wasting, but there was no edgewise opportunities when it came to Anna and her ramblings. However, once he poked as many holes in his bride-to-be's plans as he could, he would offer up a better, more sensible solution. A solution less likely to get them all killed.

Then there would be Olaf. Assuming that something shiny and colorful hasn't come along and distracted him, the little snowman would be as useful in the argument as a wet towel. He would agree and disagree with both of his friends on all the exact same points, mindlessly nodding his head as they bickered back and forth while not really following anything they were saying. Not that his input was actually up for debate. He would be all in for a rescue mission, no matter which plan of action they chose to take.

And as for Sven, the reindeer would most likely be on Kristoff's side, whether he actually agreed with the mountain man or not, since Kristoff spoke for him. Although, Elsa seriously doubted Kai would ever allow the reindeer inside the queen's study, regardless of the circumstances.

She smiled fondly at the little scene playing in her head as she continued to comb her hair, lost in her fantasy. It wasn't until she heard Lollie barking loudly downstairs that she came back to the present. She barely had time to wonder was going on before she jumped out of her chair and gasped when Tobias suddenly came bursting into the room.

"Blow out the candles and close the curtains," He told her, not apologizing for barging in without knocking. Elsa looked at him with questioning eyes while Lollie continued to howl up a storm somewhere downstairs. "There's someone coming up to the house."

He left the room without another word, letting the sudden hollowing silence spur Elsa into action when she realized it could be the bandits. While Tobias rummaged around downstairs with Lollie, Elsa quickly blew out the small candles that lit up the room and shut the curtains, just like he told her to. She then closed the bedroom door and locked it before moving back to the window and peeking out through the fabric. She heard the front door open and saw Tobias step down from his porch with a shotgun and lantern in hand.

He limped out further into his yard to confront the two figures approaching his property on horseback. They rode without any lanterns, making their identities and late night visit to Tobias' lonely cabin all the more suspenseful. They dismounted their horses and stepped into the light of the old man's lantern. It was dark out still and the lantern light was poor, but at the mere sight of the visitors' familiar black and red clothing, Elsa let out another gasp and her heart started pounding harder in her chest. Frost shot up the handful of curtain clutched tightly in her grasp.

It was the bandits. Not all of them obviously, just two lackeys, but it was definitely the bandits.

It was both comforting and horrifying to see that the bandit leader wasn't among them. The darkness outside made it difficult for her to see most of their features, but from what Elsa _could_ see, neither of them wore a scarf across their mouths. The leader _always_ wore a scarf. It was comforting because the bandit leader terrified the queen more than anything has ever terrified her before, _including_ accidentally freezing Anna again. But it was also horrifying because if the bandit wasn't there looking for Elsa, than that could mean he was on his way back to Arendelle to attack Anna and Kristoff. That ugly thought made the temperature in her room drop significantly until her breath became clouded.

The queen watched as the two bandits approached Tobias. They didn't appear to be armed with anything another than a small knife or two clipped to their belts, but they walked with a cocky air to them as they regarded the older man with twin smirks. They seemed pretty confident in themselves even as Tobias stood as still as stone with a loaded shotgun in his hand and an angry pooch growling at them from the porch.

The tall, almost rat-faced bandit that reminded Elsa of a beanpole called out a greeting, referring to Tobias by name. It obviously signified her new friend was already acquainted with the bandits, but it was also obvious they were anything but friends by the way he aimed his weapon at them. The two stopped in their tracks and eyed the long barrel pointed at their faces.

The fat, stubby bandit that stood comically next to the beanpole started to speak, but Elsa couldn't hear what anyone was saying now, their tones were too low. They exchanged words while occasionally gesturing with their hands towards the forest around them. Whatever they were saying, Tobias didn't move an inch. He gave them short, one word answers to whatever questions they asked him. Elsa feared that his blatant defensiveness would arouse their suspicions, but neither bandit seemed the least bit put-off by the old man's unfriendliness. Throughout their exchange, the two snickered and jostled each other, making it clear that they weren't taking their search for Elsa, or the possibility that Tobias might be harboring her, seriously.

After several long, agonizing minutes, Elsa let out a sigh of relief and loosened her frozen death-grip on the curtain when the two bandits finally turned away and walked back to their horses. Tobias watched them leave, refusing to leave from his spot until they mounted their horses again and rode off back down the front path. Elsa made her way back down the stairs just as Tobias and Lollie came back inside. He let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his eyes again before looking up and spotting the young woman standing on the stairs.

"I told them I heard a woman crying a few miles East on my way home from the fields. That should buy us some more time, but they'll be back eventually once they pick up your trail again. It would be best if we go tonight," He said solemnly. "I'll get you a cloak."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This chapter was graciously beta read by my pal xshattered-reflectionx. She did a fantastic job with it, but sometimes mistakes and typos are still missed, so if you see one in the content, let me know in a review and I'll fix it!
> 
> Once again, this story is posted on my FanFiction account under the same Penname: Scorpiofreak. I operate mainly on there, so if you want frequent updates, or would like to get in contact with me for any reason, I would recommend trying on there first. There's a more likely chance I'll see it immediately and respond.
> 
> Don't forget to comment and leave kudos if you liked it! Thanks!
> 
> ~Scorpiofreak~


	3. Engaging A Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Super nervous for this chapter since it introduces my OC. Hopefully, you guys will like him and he'll turn out to be a good character. I haven't done an OC story in years, not since I first started FanFiction. I would say that my OC skills are a little rusty, but I wasn't really any good at writing them in the first place, so...
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen or its characters.
> 
> Recently Re-edited as of: 1/18/16

The trip into the nearby town had been mercifully uneventful.

Elsa and Tobias traveled in silence while Lollie rolled around in the back of the hay wagon. The queen sat next to the older gentleman with an itchy, wool cloak wrapped around her shoulders. She had the large hood pulled up over her ears with her knotted hair stuffed inside to keep it out of her eyes. She could still feel a light layer of dirt coating her face. It made her feel even more uncomfortable than she already was, but after their recent run-in with the two bandits, Tobias ushered her and Lollie out of the cabin before she could get a word in edgewise.

Not that she had any right to complain if she had. She wanted to go tonight, didn't she?

It was a downright miserable night, in all senses of the word. Tobias' cream collie had been more than pleased with all the late-night excitement, but Elsa wasn't nearly as entertained as the pooch. And neither was Tobias, if the hardened expression on his aged face was anything to go by. He sat even more rigidly than Elsa did. His eyes constantly scanned the dark forest for signs of danger.

She felt compelled to ask him what his relationship was with the bandits since it was clear from their brief interaction that _they_ knew who _he_ was, but she wasn't sure how to go about it. Each time she stole a glance at him from the corner of her eye, his stern frown deterred her from speaking. She did, however, manage to ask him on their way out of the cabin how he knew the bandits would come back. Without looking at her, he replied that the bandits have been camping in this forest for years. They lurked around the alleyways of the nearby towns, conducted questionable business within the seedy bars, and attacked unaware travelers that passed through their self-designated territory. And with their hideout only a few miles away from his land, it was almost impossible for their paths not to cross every now and again, unfortunately.

To be honest, Elsa didn't know how she should feel about his answer. She didn't believe Tobias was secretly in cohorts with the bandits, attempting to lure her back to the slaughter like a false shepherd, or anything like that. Even after only knowing him for less than a few hours, the queen felt relatively safe around him. He was still a capable man if he needed to be, but he just seemed too wired down and done with the world's nonsense to dredge up trouble with anybody.

Still though, the more stern side of Elsa's mind told her that she shouldn't be too trusting so soon after her miraculous escape. It then went on to snidely remind her how well trusting a total stranger once worked out for Anna. However, the other side of her mind that didn't really give a damn at this point, argued that she was just letting Tobias help her - not marry her. It also didn't fail to mention that she didn't exactly have a lot of alternative options.

In any case, it was a little too late now.

Glancing back towards the road, Elsa's shoulders sagged in relief, seeing the familiar slanted roofs and cobbled streets that marked the return to civilization. There was nothing remarkable about the town from what she could see. It looked empty for the most part, except for a few stragglers roaming the streets, and a shop or two with their lights still on. The souls still out and about at such a late hour paid little attention to the traveling pair as Elsa and Tobias passed. The roamers walked with their heads down and their faces bundled up with thick scarves, either to help fight off the cold nipping at their skin, or to avoid arousing suspicion. The queen decided to follow their example and burrowed deeper into her cloak.

They traveled further into the town until they came out through the other side. Elsa felt her stomach lurch when Tobias pulled on the horse's reigns and the wagon slowed down outside a large establishment that she could only assume was a tavern. It was two stories high with lights streaming through the windows, along with the rowdy sounds of men yelling at each other inside and the assaulting smell of tobacco and ale.

Tobias let out a tired sigh as he looked up at the tavern for a moment before setting aside the reigns. He stood up and gingerly stepped down from the wagon, mindful of his bad leg. "Well come on then," He said, motioning for Elsa to pick up the pace as she climbed down after him. "Dress or no, if I can get my crotchety hide on and off this thing at a decent pace, you certainly should be able to."

Elsa found herself a little shaky on her feet from the ride. The bumpy, unpaved roads of the countryside had been unforgiving. She nearly tripped over the ends of her tattered dress again, but Tobias noticed the trouble she was having and reached out a hand to steady her.

"Don't worry, we won't be here long," He said with a reassuring smile after he saw the uncertain, borderline horrified, expression that took over Elsa's face when the doors of the tavern suddenly slammed open and two large men came out carrying a smaller man between them. The man in the middle, who was clearly drunk out of his mind, muttered incoherently as he was carried down the front steps and literally thrown from the shady establishment. He landed face first into a nearby mud puddle and continued to lay in the filth even after the other men retreated back into the tavern.

"Mind your step," Tobias warned her as they made their way around the drunken man.

Elsa suppressed a cough when the offending smell of smoke and very unclean men washed over her like a wave. The smell and sounds coming from within the hobble almost made Elsa want to wait in the wagon with Lollie, but she forced herself forward with what little courage she had left while mentally berate herself for almost losing her nerve.

_'Come on! Get it together, Elsa! This is a life or death situation we're in right now, with not just your life on the line, and you can't even step past the threshold of some dinky little bar? Pathetic! What a proud queen Mama and Papa raised. Suck it up and do what needs to be done!'_

It was stuffy and almost humid inside the tavern. One of the many side effects of having so much tobacco burning at once. The lighting inside might have been bright at one point during the night, but the grey cloud of smoke dimmed it and made the establishment completely congested. The amount of patrons shoved into almost every inch of available space didn't help much either.

At the sound of the bar doors opening on rusted hinges, loudly announcing new arrivals, several heads turned their way when they entered the tavern. They glanced briefly towards the larger of the pair, which was Tobias, before shifting to Elsa where they gladly let their gazes linger.

There were a few hoots, whistles, and drunken catcalls throughout the crowd, making the cloaked queen shiver in disgust. A few of the nearby patrons stared openly at her and made vulgar hand gestures and kissing noises when she looked in their direction, beckoning for her to come join them. But when Elsa only looked away and pulled her hood down further over her face, most of them lost interest and turned back to their tables. They were the ones who only called out to get a rise out of her because their alcohol-laced minds found it hilarious, but the others who stared at Elsa with lust and serious intent, looked away begrudgingly when Tobias squared his shoulders and glared, reminding them that the pretty new visitor wasn't alone.

"Wait here," He suddenly commanded before stepping away from her.

"What?" Her head snapped in his direction and her eyes widened. Was that man seriously thinking about leaving her here?

"I'll just be right upstairs," He told her, pointing towards the staircase in the back. "If anyone bothers you, just holler for Milynda, the old barmaid over there-" He gestured towards the heavyset, grey-haired woman manning the bar. "She'll help you. I'll only be a moment."

And then the man was gone from her side, weaving his way through the tables and people until he reached the staircase. Elsa watched him meander up the steps until he disappeared on to the second floor. Once he was out of sight, some of the tavern patrons' attention went back on her.

The queen could feel several pairs of eyes on her as she made her way towards the bar, but she refused to let the thugs of the seedy establishment know they were getting to her. She walked with her head held high and her back straight, making sure to project a sense of authority, but not too much authority (any respected royal would stick out like a sore thumb in a place like this if they weren't careful). Just enough to let any onlookers know she was here for a reason, and that reason wasn't to entertain them.

She still couldn't help but feel exposed. There were no privies in here, everything was open for scrutiny.

After finding a vacant stool, Elsa sat down and placed her hands neatly in her lap while her cloak did a noteworthy job of hiding her from public view. She tried her best not to touch anything just in case her anxiety caused her to accidentally freeze something. The silver-haired barmaid Tobias pointed out, stopped by her stool with a friendly smile and asked if Elsa would like anything to drink, but she politely declined the offer. Even if she was a drinker, she most certainly wouldn't allow herself to get inebriated in a place like this.

True to his word, Elsa wasn't left on her own for long. She felt her heart skip in relief when she soon caught sight of Tobias coming back down the staircase. She practically jumped from her stool and ran across the room when he spotted her sitting at the bar and motioned for her to come over. She did her best to squeeze through the crowd of people as she made her way towards the stairs, watching her footing like a hawk and keeping her arms tucked tightly against her chest. She let out a sigh when she finally managed to make it to the staircase without being mowed over and trampled.

"He wants to speak with you," Tobias said as he leaned in and spoke over the noise and mixed voices around them.

Thankfully, the second floor was significantly less crowded. Full tables and shouting men still littered it, but it wasn't nearly as crowded, which was probably because there wasn't another ale station up there and most drunkards weren't motivated enough to walk all the way downstairs to get more alcohol.

"Over there," Tobias pointed towards the tables in back. "Try not to be nervous. I told him you can handle yourself well."

Elsa blinked up at him and nodded before once again navigating through tables and chairs while Tobias hung back. She walked until she came to the table she thought she saw Tobias point at, which seated a large, overweight man who didn't even look up from the sloppy meal he was scarfing down his throat when she stopped at his table. Her nose wrinkled up in disgust as he reminded her of a fat, greasy hog.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, she quickly curbed her disgust and cleared her throat.

"Excuse me."

He looked up from his food and gave Elsa a bizarre look when he realized she was talking to him.

"Tobias said you wanted to speak with me?"

"Wha-?" Bits of food flew out of his overstuffed mouth as he stared at her.

There was a snort from somewhere behind her before a sharp whistle grabbed her attention.

"Over here, sweetheart."

Elsa turned towards the table behind her and blinked at the considerably younger man, thin and less likely to die of a severe heart attack, sitting at the empty table. She stared at him for a moment before looking back at the overweight man, who was staring at her like she had just spouted a second head. She blushed, realizing her mistake.

"Oh...I'm sorry," She apologized to the older man before turning away with burning cheeks.

As the queen quickly sat down across from the right man, he flashed a heavily dubious look across the room at Tobias before shaking his head and looking back down at the playing cards in his hands. There were other little stacks of cards, all facing upside down in front of the empty chairs that surrounded the table. There was also a pile of gold coins in the middle, telling Elsa that they had interrupted the man's card game.

The lighting was shoddy at best, but she still tried to make out the man across from her. He was leaning back in a wooden chair with one foot lodged against the side of the table, making his chair balance precariously on its back legs. He had black, shaggy hair that hung unkempt and carefree in his eyes, a clean appearance, and seemed only a few years older than her. He looked more put together than most of the other patrons. Probably because of his younger age, she assumed. The filth and noise of the tavern clearly didn't stop him from playing cards and dwelling near the pigs in their pigpen, but he wasn't quite at that age yet where he was ready to join them. Where he stopped caring whether he had dried bodily fluids on the front of his shirt, or enough grease on his face and hair to deep fry a small bird.

Elsa took in as many details as she could while she waited for him to do something. For whatever reason, he didn't seem too incline to jump straight into things, and it had her waiting in slight apprehension.

Was this what it was like for Anna, the queen wondered; when she employed Kristoff to help her make it to the North mountain? The basis might have been somewhat similar, but Elsa envied the differences in their situations. She was in no cozy little barn, with a bundle of carrots in her arms and an unwavering sense of optimism, determined to strike a deal with a big goof who sang silly lullabies to his pet reindeer. Elsa didn't have a single inkling where she was, or who she was sitting across from. Looking at him, she could tell right away he was no gentle giant.

"So," He spoke up suddenly, bringing Elsa out of her thoughts and back to the present. His voice was deep and slightly hoarse, but distinct. He didn't look up from his handful of cards when he finally acknowledged her. "What'd you do to piss off Dag?"

"Excuse me?"

"Dag. The bandit leader with the jacked up mug," He clarified, finally looking up at her with hard eyes while gesturing to the right side of his face. When Elsa did nothing but blink at him, he let out a sigh. "Did he ever take his bandanna off in front of you?"

Elsa thought back to the brutal thug who had threatened to kill her sister if she used her ice powers. She tried to remember if she ever saw him without that blood red cloth covering the bottom of his face. When she couldn't, she shook her head.

"Yeah, didn't think so," The man muttered mostly to himself as he finally set down the cards.

With a creak of his chair, he pulled his leg down and sat forward until all four chair legs where back on the ground. He leaned in with his arms crossed and looked at her - really looked at her. His stare wasn't lecherous, more scrutinizing than anything else, but it still made her feel uncomfortable.

He stared intensely at her, making her feel more stripped down than if she had been sitting at the table bare naked. However, in the wake of his harsh scrutiny, Elsa held her head high and projected confidence she truly didn't have, faking it as she had done all her life. She looked him straight in the eyes and fought hard against looking away when the intensity of his stare became too much. She held it for as long as she could, feeling as if she would be failing a huge test if she were to look away before him. It was difficult. She had enough problems being looked at by her own citizens for any extended period of time, let alone some shady thug.

"So," He drawled again. "What's your story?"

Elsa sat a little straighter, speaking as clear and collected as she could while displaying as much dignity and authority as she could without it being suspicious. "I need safe passage to the kingdom of Arendelle. I was kidnapped from my home by bandits and it is imperative that I return as soon as-"

"No, stop," He interrupted with a shake of his hand. "That's not what I meant. I know why you're here and what you want from me. Tobias already told me that. I want to know who you are."

She blinked at him. "I'm sorry?"

"I want to know who you are, what you do, why you can't wait until spring for an escort."

Elsa looked on, more confused than ever. What sort of dealing was this? Why did he care who she was? She wasn't anyone important as far as he knew, and she intended to keep it that way.

However, it seemed with each passing minute, her confusion was getting worse and worse, and that was more upsetting than being lost and alone. There was a long pause as Elsa quickly picked her brain for something to say. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't expecting him to ask for a backstory, but she honestly didn't think he would ask so soon. In her head, their dealing played out just like any other negotiation she has ever been apart of. True, the circumstances were less than customary, but she couldn't see why the art of the deal had to be any different than negotiating taxes, or exchanging trading routes.

"What does any of that matter?" She finally settled on.

"It matters to me."

"But why?"

"Call me paranoid, but I like to know who I'm doing business with. Gives me a little more job security when I know I'm not going to get knocked over the back of the head with a rock and wake up in some ditch somewhere with one of my kidneys missing."

How weirdly specific. She didn't quite know how to respond to that.

"It's kind of a long story..."

Of course there was no way she was going to tell him the real story. She just needed time to finish thinking up a believable lie. Even if he was throwing her this curve ball by asking her to explain herself, she knew she had to be a little creative while also being careful. Not necessarily a very easy thing to do, especially when she was pitching it to someone who, no doubt, lied for a living.

"I've got time," He replied, leaning over to sneak a peek at one of his opponent's unguarded cards, further proving Elsa's opinion of him.

"I'm a barmaid," She settled on, rather uncreatively, knowing any lagging pauses might give her lie away. "I'm from the kingdom of Arendelle. I was working in the bar my uncle...Olaf owns, when there was a bandit raid and they took me-"

"What was it like?" He interrupted her. "The raid, I mean. What was it like?"

"What do you mean what was it like?" She countered, somewhat defensively. "What do you _think_ it was like? My home was invaded by bandits! It happened out of nowhere, nobody saw it coming. People were in a panic, running and screaming! They attacked innocent citizens and destroyed property! And that, that - _horrible_ man, hit me over the head and took me from my home and locked me in a cage!"

"Alright, alright, alright," The man cut in, holding up his hands in surrender. "I get the gist. Just stop getting all hysterical on me."

"I just don't see why all this matters!" She snapped, finally allowing some of her frustration to slip out. Her hands twisted angrily into the ruined fabric of her party dress, causing a thin layer of frost to crawl across her lap, underneath the table. "Now I've told you why I'm here and why I need your services. I'm willing to pay any price you ask, but if you're not going to accept my offer, then stop wasting my time!"

He looked up from his cards with a cocked eyebrow. "Any price?"

Elsa deflated a little, feeling uneasy again when she remembered there was more than one way to settle a debt. "Within reason, of course. I won't do anything vulgar, if-if that's what you're thinking, but-"

He rolled his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself."

"But...any currency price you wish, or any material price for that matter, I'll gladly pay if you accept this job."

"Oh really?" He replied with false enthusiasm. "A simple barmaid such as yourself has the means of giving me _any_ amount of money I want? Man, bartending is way more lucrative than I thought it was. Maybe I'm in the wrong line of work."

Elsa opened her mouth to snap at him again (because _yes_ , she was very much sure he was in the wrong line of work), but stopped short when she realized her mistake. In both of her roles, she was willing to pay anything to get back home to her kingdom, but it was stupid of her to forget she needed to watch her words. Of course a queen had more than enough money to pay off someone like him, but an average barmaid probably couldn't afford more than the bare basics, like food and clothing.

Now, the man either knew she was lying through her teeth, or believed she was a foolish peasant, trying to make promises she had no way of following through with.

She held her ground anyways, against his suspicious stares, knowing you can convince someone of just about anything if you applied enough confidence behind it. The man across from her narrowed his gaze further before scoffing again. His eyes went back down towards the cards in his hands.

"Alright," He said. "I'll do it."

Elsa frowned at him. "W-what?"

"I said I'll do it," His tone clipped as he looked down at his cards.

She stared owlishly at him, unsure if she had heard him correctly (was he always this inappropriately nonchalant?) before she let out a relieved laugh. Was he actually going to help her? It seemed too good to be true, but that was what he just said, wasn't it?

"Thank you!" She gasped, practically jumping on to the table in her excitement, but ended up accidentally shoving the wobbly table forward when she abruptly stood from her chair. The queen let out another gasp when the side of the table rammed into the man's stomach, inciting a winded " _Oof!_ " from him. A nearby pitcher of ale fell over and spilled into his lap.

"Jesus!" He swore as he stood up and wiped the spilled liquid off the front of his pants. "Watch what the hell you're doing!"

"I'm sorry!" She apologized desperately.

The man only shot her a mean glare before looking back down at his wet trousers. Elsa stood by anxiously, gnawing on her bottom lip as she waited for him to snap at her, changing his mind because of her clumsiness. She mentally berated herself for it. _Anna_ was the clumsy one, not her. She was supposed to be the one with more self control.

Thankfully, the towering presence of Tobias came into her peripheral vision and the old man tactfully placed himself between Elsa and the grumbling thug. The two males exchanged hard stares while Elsa stood off to the side. The younger man was the first to break the eye contact.

"Take her back to your place for the night, Tobias. Get the horses ready and I'll handle the supplies. We'll leave tomorrow morning."

Tobias only nodded before reaching out to grab on to Elsa's cloak. He gently tugged on it to get the queen to follow him, but Elsa didn't move.

"Tomorrow morning?" She echoed. "No, that won't do. I need to leave tonight."

"Oh yeah?" He replied derisively. "And thanks to _you_ , I now need a new pair of pants. Which one of our problems do you think I care more about? If you're in such a hurry you can't wait another few hours, then feel free to go ahead by yourself. Otherwise, we leave at dawn, Sugar. Be awake and ready by the time I get there or the deal's off."

Elsa gaped at the man as he looked down at his pants with another curse before storming off towards a back room in the tavern. She watched him go.

_Sugar?_

~O~

Morning couldn't have come any sooner.

Despite being practically dead on her feet last night, Elsa had a hard time falling asleep. Her racing mind and mounting anxiety had her tossing and turning for a long time until she finally managed to fall into a restless sleep. She couldn't have been asleep for more than an hour or so before Tobias knocked on her door.

The older gentleman's kindness seemed to know no limits, and it moved Elsa's heart. Not only did he lend her a warm room with a nice bed, but he also gave her new clothing to wear, and since they were probably never going to see each other again after today (a very sad thought, she realized), Elsa knew he was giving them to her. She took the bundle of fabric offered to her with a grateful smile, which he returned with a small smile of his own before leaving the room so she could change.

The queen stripped out of her ruined party dress, letting it fall to the hardwood floor in a dirty heap before repeating the process with her chemise and ripped stockings. She only gave the clothes Tobias gave her a quick once-over before slipping them on. Other than the typical underwear and skirts, the outfit consisted of a cream-colored, long sleeve blouse that felt fresh and clean against her skin. On top of that, Elsa pulled on a black bodice with little difficultly and carefully tied the laces that ran up the front of it. Next came a dark maroon skirt that stopped about mid-shin. The material was nicer than she expected, with a faint floral design along the bottom trimming.

It all seemed to be mismatched rather than part of a whole set, but they made her feel a little less exposed and out of place, so she was grateful for that. The shirt was slightly worn and broken in, along with the bodice, but they fit like a glove, which made Elsa wonder why Tobias had them in his possession.

Elsa mused lightly on this as she sat down in the nearby vanity chair and looked into the mirror. She had washed up the night before after they got back from town. She started working through the tangles in her platinum blonde hair, finally feeling clean again. The lift in her appearance and mood showed in her reflection. Her skin was clear and back to its healthy, pale tone, and her blue eyes shined a little brighter with new hope. She felt at ease as she carefully weaved her hair into a french braid, letting it rest on her right shoulder when it was finished before brushing back her long bangs so they were out of her face.

She fiddled around with her hair a little while longer until Tobias called from downstairs. Without much thought, she picked up her old clothing from the floor and tossed them into the nearby fireplace, no longer needing them. The fire flared as it burned the dirty material, erasing the last bit of evidence of her time in captivity. She slipped on a pair of black boots and pulled a rather nice, royal blue cloak on to her shoulders.

With her last article of clothing she hesitated. It was a pair of light blue gloves, almost identical to her old pair back in Arendelle, but not nearly as finely made. She knew Tobias meant nothing more by it when he gave them to her, but she still cringed all the same. She slipped them over her hands with a grim face. It may feel like she was taking several steps back from all the progress she made since the Great Thaw, but she knew it was for the best. She could take them off again when she got back home and let the wind take them like she did with the first pair.

Tobias was already outside, wrangling the horses when Elsa came downstairs. Lollie greeted her with a happy bark when she saw the queen step out on to the front porch. The pooch ran up to her with her tail wagging and skidded to a stop at her feet. She looked up at her with brown eyes, begging the young woman to pet her. Elsa smiled and patted her softly on her head.

"Good morning," Tobias greeted just as he set down a bucket of fresh water for his horses.

"Good morning," She returned.

The blonde looked around the front yard of the cabin. Her blue eyes searched the property for their charming "friend" from last night. The thought of his arrival was bittersweet. Yes, he seemed like a huge jerk, but he was a huge jerk who was going to help her get home.

"Where is he?" She finally asked.

"Over there," Tobias nodded his head in the direction of the barn, already knowing who she was talking about. "He's in a bit of a mood this morning, so tread lightly when you talk to him."

Elsa didn't respond. She only looked towards the barn to see bags of supplies by the open door before a tall figure stepped out and kneeled down next to them. She watched him for a few moments before squaring her shoulders and making her way over to him. As she walked, she took in his appearance again.

The early morning sun revealed that his hair was actually an incredibly dark brown, not black like she thought it was back in the tavern. It was still pretty shaggy, hanging carefree in front of his eyes as he rifled through his bags. It wasn't entirely unkempt. It just seemed like he was too lazy to get a proper haircut, or even swipe it back like most men do. It was clean, at least. A huge improvement over most of the men Elsa's encountered during her neverending nightmare.

He also didn't look as old as he did last night. He couldn't have been much older than her. Although, that was just a rough guess. Sometimes it was difficult to tell with males, especially when they towered over you in height - and he was rather tall. Almost as tall as Kristoff even, if Elsa remembered correctly, but not nearly as broad and muscled as the ice harvester. He was more slender, well in shape with a long torso and a wiry build. And though his manners could use improvement, Elsa had to admit the man was attractive. He had that beatnik look about him, but it seemed more authentic coming from him, rather than purposely posed, like he honestly couldn't care less about how he looked.

He had broken-faced good looks, healthy colored skin, and a slightly hunched, lazy posture. And as she drew closer, Elsa also noticed three jagged, black lines on his neck. They were poking out jaggedly from underneath the neckline of his shirt as they crawled up the side of his neck. A tattoo maybe?

His clothing consisted of a gray shirt, halfway tucked into his pants with the buttons at the neckline unbuttoned and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Dark leather suspenders stretched down his front and crossed behind his back before attaching to a pair of black pants that ran all the way down his legs. They reached his heavy boots, well-worn and lazily tired, where the ends were stuffed in. He also wore black, half-cut work gloves and had a leather holster strapped to his thigh with a rather intimidating hunting knife tucked into it.

Elsa stopped a few feet behind him with her back straight, her hands folded neatly in front of her, and her head held high; displaying just enough confidence without it, once again, being too suspicious.

She softly cleared her throat.

He looked up at her from where he was kneeling, squinting against the morning light that shined from somewhere behind her. She absently noted as she gave him a friendly smile, that his eyes were a piercing hazel color.

"Good morning."

He looked back down at his bags. "Morning."

"I would like to thank you again for doing this. I'm Elsa," She introduced herself, holding out a hand.

The man only gave it a glance. "Elsa what?"

The queen blinked and frowned at the question.

Oh, right...normal people had last names, didn't they?

"Snow?" She offered up the first thing that came to mind and flinched when it came out sounding more like a question.

"Are you asking me?"

"No, it's Snow. Elsa Snow," She replied with more conviction. "That's my last name. My family name. I just wasn't sure that's what you were asking. But yes, that is my name. My last name."

Elsa held back an uneasy laugh and smiled a tight-lipped smile as the man just stared oddly at her. An uncomfortable silence fell while she shifted under his gaze. He had that "this is getting awkward" look on his face.

"And you are?" She asked, desperate to break the sudden tension.

"Logan Massett," He replied, standing back up to his full height while disregarding her extended hand. "You got everything you need?"

She nodded. "I believe so."

The thug - newly dubbed Logan - gave her a nod before hauling one of the supplies bags on to his shoulder and carrying it over to the horses. Taking that as a dismissal, Elsa walked back over to Tobias and Lollie. As she came to stand next to the old man on the front porch, she realized something weird.

"Isn't Logan the name of your mule?" She asked, remembering the name etched into the door of a grey creature's stall when Tobias sent her out to the barn to fetch a coil of rope the night before.

"Why yes, it is," He nodded. His face was dead serious as he watched Logan prep the horses, but Elsa could see he was fighting back a smile. "I named him after our friend over there."

She looked at the younger man, who was now sharpening his hunting knife, with confusion. "Why?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "It seemed rather fitting at the time. They're both braying jackasses."

The queen quickly stifled a laugh behind her gloved hand at the man's silly response. He gave her a coy side glance and winked.

"Oh har hee har," Logan called out sarcastically, not even looking up from his knife. "Smartass old man. I should slit your throat and watch the dust come out." He mumbled grouchily to himself.

"Do you trust him?" Elsa asked in a lower tone once she sobered up.

She didn't know Tobias very long, or virtually anything about him other than his name, but she valued his opinion as if she did. It was the least she could do after everything he had done for her, and everything he had risked by taking her in. She prayed it wouldn't come back to bite him after she was gone.

Tobias pursed his lips in thought for a moment as looked between the young woman standing in front of him and the young man preparing the horses. "Well, I've known Logan for a couple years now and I've come to realize a long time ago that he is a stubborn, hotheaded ass with a jaded outlook on life and a bad attitude."

Elsa pulled a face that almost made Tobias laugh.

"But I will admit, if you give the boy an honest job, I know he'll do anything and everything in his power to deliver with little complaint, which is the best you're going to find under these particular circumstances. But to answer your question, yes, I do trust him."

' _It'll have to do,_ ' Elsa thought to herself before quietly excusing herself.

Tobias followed after her but broke off to go speak with Logan. The young male didn't acknowledge him as he hauled the last of the supplies on to his horse. Tobias shot a quick glance over his shoulder at Elsa, who was kneeling down near the porch saying goodbye to Lollie, making sure she wasn't paying attention before turning back to Logan with a stern look.

"I don't suppose you plan on telling her, do you? About your...colorful history with those bandits?"

Logan scoffed. "Only if you think it'll help, which we both know it won't. If everything goes smoothly - you know, she gets home and I get my payment - then I don't see why it would matter."

"But it won't go smoothly."

"Such a downer," Logan rolled his eyes. "Have a little faith, Toby. Everything's going to be just fine."

And with that, the young man snatched the navy blue scarf from around "Toby's" neck and wrapped it around his own before walking over to his horse and climbing up on the saddle. Tobias didn't move to take his scarf back. He just shook his head before giving his companion another stern look.

"Don't make me regret this, Logan."

"Do I ever?" He asked before calling out to Elsa. "Hey! Get the lead out, Sugar. We're burning daylight."

"You don't want me to answer that," The older gentleman mumbled as he brought Elsa's horse to her.

After helping the woman mount her horse, Tobias grabbed on to the reins and walked them both to the edge of his front yard while Logan trailed closely behind. Once they reached the front gate, Elsa looked down at her companion with a sad smile. There were no words good enough to express how indebted she felt to this man. He had done more for her in one night than most people had ever done in her entire life.

"Thank you _so_ much, Tobias," She reached out to lay a gloved hand over his, squeezing it gently. "I will never forget what you've done for me. I just wish there was some way I could repay you."

The old man smiled back at her warmly as he pulled his hand from underneath hers and held out the reins for her to take. "Just take care of yourself and get home safely and we'll call it square."

"Thank you," The queen said one last time before lightly kicking the sides of her horse. She hadn't done much horse riding in her life, but thanks to a few childhood lessons, she knew the gist of it.

Tobias lingered by the front gate as the travelers moved along the path ahead of them. Lollie followed behind the two, trotting along side the horses until they reached the end of her master's property. She sat down with a soft whine and watched them continue on their way with flattened ears.

"See ya later, beautiful!" Logan called to the cream-colored collie, earning himself a bark.

"What a wonderful man," Elsa mused out loud to herself once she could no longer see the cabin. "What makes a man help a total stranger as much as he did?"

"He used to have a daughter about your age," Logan replied as he passed her to take point. "If that helps clear up anything."

It did. So much so, Elsa didn't have the heart to ask him what exactly he meant by "used to". She looked down at the clothing she was wearing, noting once again how the shirt and corset were well-used, but the pretty maroon skirt and blue cloak were still in good condition. They looked as if they were rarely worn, well taken care of and highly prized. She noted how they were made of a nicer, and probably more expensive material. And she remembered how the room she had stayed in was covered in a thick layer of dust, empty and blocked off.

The queen shook her head of ill thoughts before looking forward, anticipating the long journey ahead of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Let me know if I write Elsa too out of character. I'm always worried I'm writing her too weak or whatever. In the beginning of my story, Elsa might be written out of character considering the situation she's in. If I had Elsa in Arendelle, dealing with other royals, then of course I'll have her in-character, but she's way out of her comfort zone here. She's been striped down to just another regular person. A regular person who has a pack of bandits after her.
> 
> And even if that wasn't the case, the movie doesn't do a whole lot to really stretch out her character except for the whole concealed-freedom shtick, which makes sense because the movie focuses more on Anna. We really only see a sort of hot/cold approach to her character in the film where she's either a terrified, stressed out queen, or a free spirit in a glittery dress singing about how she's no longer a terrified, stressed out queen. I was a little disappointed there was no real sass in her, being that Idina Menzel does her voice and all.
> 
> ~Scorpiofreak~


	4. Day One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This chapter is shorter than the other chapters because I had to cut the original draft in half. It was originally supposed to include a cutaway to Arendelle, with Anna and Kristoff. It was running way too long for my liking though, and I didn't want to have to worry about downsizing and cutting out potentially important material.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen or its characters.
> 
> Recently Re-edited as of: 1/20/16

Despite the circumstances, there was something actually quite freeing about traveling with a complete stranger.

As a queen, Elsa always had to maintain a certain image. An image of a royal. An image of total perfection.

She needed to walk, talk, sit, eat, and dress like someone who was above the common status of society. She needed to project an unshakable sense of authority, strength and dignity at all times, _especially_ when she stood in the public view. And when she was among her people, she was expected to act bigger than she was, greater than she was. As far as her people were concerned, she was ethereal. Something greater than the average man that they could look to for leadership and wisdom in times of both peace and prosperity, and conflict and hardship. At no point during her day was she truly permitted to act like herself.

Yes, after a rocky start, her people had slowly grown to respect and accept her as their ice queen, but just because she no longer had to hide her powers behind closed doors, doesn't mean there was no longer any expectations. She wasn't as free as Anna was. Even during her downtime, her royal conditioning still lingered. She still couldn't sleep in late during lazy Summer mornings. She couldn't walk around the castle in her pajamas after having just rolled out of bed with her hair in complete disarray and dried drool on her chin. She couldn't slurp her soup. She couldn't slouch in her chair. She couldn't yawn too loudly (or at all, really. Too disrespectful), or pick at her nails and teeth in front of others.

Even though it was proven during her coronation that Elsa could be just as irresponsible and imperfect as her clumsy, baby sister, she was still expected to act perfect. To maintain a "holier than thou" image.

However, with that in mind, it made her current situation just a tad more bearable when she realized something very important.

Inside this dense forest, in the middle of unknown territory, with a grumpy stranger as her guide - the young woman was no longer Queen Elsa of Arendelle, the mysterious ruler of ice and snow. She was just Elsa Snow; the stranded barmaid just trying to find her way back home after a nasty run-in with a group of bandits. The story she had spun portrayed her as normal. She was an ordinary person with no significant ties to anything noteworthy or valuable other than a job as a barmaid in a small tavern run by her make-believe uncle. And she felt a burst of pure euphoria the moment she realized what having no royal title truly meant for her.

It started with a small ache, along the small of her back. After sitting upright as stiff as a board for almost three hours straight, she was starting to feel the annoying aches and pangs. At first, she forced herself to ignore them. She reminded herself that slouching on horseback was just as undignified as slouching at the dinner table. However, it was only after she remembered that she was no longer in her kingdom, strolling through the market where her citizens could scrutinize her every movement - that she realized she could relax.

So, in a very unladylike fashion, Elsa let her stiff shoulders sag and her back bend outwards as far as her corset would allow until she was practically slumped over the ears of her horse. She let out a soft sigh as the tension in her muscles was released and she was able to stretch freely without the worry of prying eyes.

After that first release of royal conditioning, Elsa smiled for the first time since saying goodbye to Tobias. It was bright and genuine, as opposed to sad and grateful. The gesture was small, but it was like releasing a dam of pent up tension in a form different from her ice powers. She let the smile linger until her face hurt, and then she smiled even more, like some crazy, grinning fool. She knew it probably looked a little strange to any outside spectator, but Logan was ahead of her, paying her absolutely no mind, so she didn't bother forcing herself to stop.

He hadn't spoken to her since their departure earlier that morning. She didn't mind the silence, especially considering that every word he had said to her so far was rude and self-assured. She was grateful when all conversation ceased as soon as they left Tobias' land. He mumbled under his breath occasionally when he would pull out a map from one of the packs and look over it every time they switched trails, but not much else beyond that. Whenever she heard him utter some sort of sound, her blue eyes would flicker up from her gloved hands and land on his back, half expecting him to turn around and say something, but he never did. She eventually stopped looking up whenever he made a noise. It got all the way to the point where she had almost forgotten he was even there with her. So when he finally _did_ decide to speak again, she was nearly startled by the sound of his voice.

"I've been wondering something," He suddenly announced.

She eyed his back again, uncertain. "Yes?"

"Do you know why Dag kept you?"

"No...but I'd imagine women are abducted all the time during raids."

"You're right," He shot her a glance over his shoulder. "But that's not what I asked. I asked if you knew why he _kept_ you. Not why he _took_ you. Bandits will take just about anything that isn't red hot and bolted to the floor, but they won't actually keep much of it afterwards. They sell what's valuable, eat what's edible, and kill what's still living, including people. Tobias mentioned you were imprisoned for a little over a week, right? That's way too long to keep someone alive, _especially_ if it's a woman. They would've used you and killed you off days ago if you didn't serve a higher purpose to them."

She narrowed her eyes at his back, not liking the direction their conversation was headed. "Are you speaking from experience? I do not know much about bandits and thugs, nor do I _want_ to, but it sounds like you do. Quite a bit actually."

He let out a sardonic laugh. "Honey, when you've dealt with one group of bandits, you've dealt with them all. Or at least with the lackeys anyways. Hive mind, practically. Only the leaders and second in commands hold any true depth. The grunts on the bottom of the chain are all just kill, steal, destroy, rape, and kill some more. The only way you're still here, breathing, talking, and shooting dirty looks at the back of my head - is if you got the attention of the leader somehow."

"I'm sorry. I really don't understand where you're going with-"

"Something's off about this whole thing and I think you might have some idea why that is," He interrupted rather sharply, throwing her another look over his shoulder.

Elsa let out a small huff. Why did he have to be so cold? Why was he treating her like _she_ was the criminal? If anything, she should be the suspicious one, not him. He was the one who was sketchy and potentially dangerous. She wouldn't exactly call it being passive aggressive (She was a royal who had to deal with other royals. She knew how to spot the signs of passive aggressive behavior a mile away), he was far too direct for that, but he was still difficult to pin down.

"I've told you everything I know already."

"Actually, no, you haven't," Logan cut in again as he pulled on his horse's reigns and jerked to the right to block Elsa's horse, forcing the queen to pull on her reigns as well. He took up the width of the trail, preventing her from moving forward, before fixing her with a bored stare through the dark strands of hair that hung in front of his eyes. "And that's exactly what I've been trying to get at here."

Elsa blinked vacantly at him.

"The _lies_ , Sugar," He clarified dryly. "I don't do business with people who lie to me. It makes me believe I can't trust you, and I can't have that."

"What makes you think I'm lying to you?"

He rolled his eyes, biting his tongue to keep himself from snapping at the woman.

Did she really think he was that dense? The fair-haired woman wasn't nearly as inconspicuous as she thought she was. Sure, she talked a decent game, he had to admit. The fear and uncertainty from her current predicament helped fuel her outer image of a distressed maiden, but there were obvious giveaways that Logan picked up on immediately. Little signs that she couldn't readily hide behind a trembling voice that, in all honesty, didn't really fool him either.

She was trying too hard. She was scared, rightfully so, but she wasn't the person she was trying to be. Logan didn't necessarily know _why_ , or _what_ she was trying to hide, but he was up to that point where he was ready to poke a few holes in that shoddy backstory she tried to feed him back at Mylinda's tavern. The only reason he had agreed to help "Elsa" in the first place was because Tobias asked him to, and although he and the old man didn't always see eye to eye, Logan couldn't ignore how indebted he still was to the older gentleman.

However, an old life debt would only get Tobias and the suspicious girl so far. Logan had a certain set of rules he lived by and not even the promise of a hefty payment could get him to break even one of them.

He gave her a pointed glare before deciding to finally shatter her lie to pieces.

"Well, for starters, let's talk about your clothes from last night," He begun matter-of-factly, as if he was about to conduct business. "I've been in a lot of taverns in my lifetime and I have never seen a bar maiden as finely dressed as you were. Now, I'm not exactly an expert on women's fashion, but I do know that was a party dress. A _ball_ dress, more specifically, and an expensive one at that," He rattled off before leaning forward on his horse. "Also-"

Elsa flinched when she saw his hand shoot out towards her face, but relaxed when she only felt him tug lightly on a strand of blonde hair that had escaped her braid. She slapped his hand away defiantly and fixed him with a glare, but where she meant for it to be scathing, Logan only smirked.

"Other being a little unkempt, your hair's healthy, and so's your skin. Bar maids aren't lowly peasants, but - and not that I'm trying to flatter you or anything - you have _very_ nice skin and hair. _Too_ nice, if you catch my drift. And not to mention the most obvious thing of all-"

He pointed towards her hands holding the reigns of her horse. Even though they were now covered by gloves, Logan remembered how they looked last night. The skin looked soft like the rest of her and her fingernails looked like they had once been neatly manicured before being gnawed off out of stress and fear.

"-those dainty little hands of your's don't look as if they've seen a day's worth of hard work in their life."

Elsa didn't really appreciate him using the word "dainty" in reference to anything of hers, but she couldn't deny he was right on some level. She would argue, however, that signing an entire summer's worth of trade treaties, civil contacts, and general kingdom paperwork in under just one week (after ending an epic winter storm she had created), was most certainly hard work ( _very_ hard work). However, other than a developing case of early Carpal Tunnel, penmanship didn't exactly leave the skin of her palms calloused and rough.

She looked back up at him and noted with poorly masked disdain that he was smirking at her again, his eyes just daring her to try and squirm her way out of the corner he had backed her into.

"So?" He asked. "You wanna stick with your lost maiden story, or are you going to cut the crap and tell me the truth before I decide to just leave you right here in the middle of the road?"

His hazel eyes hardened and he looked her straight in the eye, unwavering and entirely hypnotic. He conveyed without words that he was nothing but _dead serious_ about abandoning her on the road.

Elsa sat there on top of her horse, unsure of how to respond. She was caught in her lie. Caught red-handed with no hope of salvaging a decent backup, or even a pitiful excuse from the scattered fragments.

The last time the queen had felt this busted after lying was when she and Anna were little kids and she had accidentally knocked over a very fancy vase with a snowball. The two princesses tried to clean up the evidence, but they were interrupted by their father who had heard the crash from his study and had come to investigate. They played dumb about it since the snow had already melted. They pulled their best puppy-dog faces and told their father the vase was broken when they found it. And since they were just children trying to avoid a timeout, they tried to place the blame on a servant because it was the only thing they could think of and nobody was around to prove otherwise. The king wasn't fooled though, not for a second. The telltale puddle on the ground and water stains on the vase shards allowed their father to come to a different conclusion.

They didn't get dessert for a week after that - much to Anna's great dismay. They also got a stern talking to, which Anna brushed off almost immediately, along with everything else as soon as her week of punishment was over, but their father's words lingered in Elsa's head for months after that, much like they always did. Not very surprising though, since Elsa took the blunt of the lecture. It wasn't so much as he was angry about the vase, but more that they tried to lie about it, and then even more so, they tried to place the blame on one of their servants. Good queens didn't do that.

Logan had that same look in his eye as her father did. That "I-already-know-you-did-it-so-you-might-as-well-fess-up" look. It obviously didn't hold the same power and control over her as her father's did since she had no real qualms about lying to a total stranger, as opposed to her loving parent, but it was still unsettling.

Though his tone held a constant sarcastic undertone to it, Logan spoke clearly and confidently. He was educated, much more than Elsa initially gave him credit for, and she was forced to bare the full impact of that mistake as she sat there, caught and potentially exposed, as her guide picked her story apart, piece by piece.

He might be nothing but a thug as far as she was concerned, but he had a way with words and a keen sense of observation that she had only seen in proud, reigning kings like her father. It made her wonder just what kind of trouble she was traveling with and how careful she needed to be around him. She rationalized the red flags in her head by telling herself Tobias wouldn't have put her on this path unless he was confident Logan could complete her task, but it was difficult to stick to that belief when her guide was just so goddamn _unsettling_. That was really the only word she could come up with to describe him. Though she was wary around strangers in general, he only succeeded in raising the bar that much higher.

Nevertheless, _nothing_ was going to stop the snow queen from getting back home to her kingdom - back home to Anna. Not even him.

"Alright, you caught me," Elsa sighed, pulling her best poker face as she thought of another, more _convincing_ lie that, more or less, brushed intimately with the truth. "I serve as a chambermaid for Princess Anna of Arendelle."

Logan cocked an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything.

She would really rather keep Anna completely out of this, but there was no way she was going to convince this man that she's lived anywhere else beyond the walls of a castle, be it made of stone, or ice.

"I've lived and worked inside the castle my entire life and I am very close with the princess. We're practically sisters, in fact. She gave me one of her dresses to wear to her wedding because I was attending the ceremony as her maid of honor, not as one of the servants. When the bandits attacked...I think they must've somehow mistaken me for her...I didn't tell you because I was afraid you wouldn't help me because of my close connection with the royal family," She explained before bowing her head in false submission and looking up at him with wide eyes, hoping to come off as innocent as possible before adding, "I'm sorry."

Like hell she was _actually_ sorry for lying to him, but it wouldn't hurt to see how far female wiles could get her.

Using her looks wasn't a method Elsa liked to exercise often. She preferred using her words rather than her pretty face to leave men speechless (most neighboring kingdoms did find her rather unsuspecting until she managed to prove otherwise during treaty signings and debates), but any advantage she could use, she was more than willing to.

However, as it turned out, her "female charm" didn't get her very far at all. Logan remained considerably unimpressed. His gaze continued to scrutinize her, and once she realized he wasn't going to be disadvantaged by her looks, she dropped the charade, knowing for sure now that he wasn't as stupid and narrow-minded as the average male. She held her ground and met his stare head on with expertly forged confidence.

His gaze lingered for a few more seconds before he scoffed. She expected him to call her out again, to tear her new story apart like he had done the old one. She expected him to turn his horse around and leave her there in the road...

"Don't lie to me again," was all he said though, in a very clear warning, before he pulled on his reigns and continued down the forest path.

Elsa watched his back before letting out a sigh and rolling her eyes up towards the sky in relief. That was close.

She caught up with him seconds later and they traveled for another few hours along a network of dirt roads before Logan finally stopped them for the night.

They stepped off the dirt road they were on and moved further into the surrounding forest until they found a spot to set up camp. From there, Logan dismounted his horse and immediately got to work with unloading their supplies. Elsa followed suite, carefully maneuvering her skirts so she could bring her leg over to one side and step back down to the ground. She let out another relieved sigh when the pressure of the hard saddle underneath her bottom finally left and she was able to stretch her legs. She didn't think she had ever ridden on horseback _that_ long in her entire life. Her legs felt loose like noodles at first as she took a few, hesitant steps, but her muscles eventually relearned how to function properly and she was able to move about freely.

She stood next to her horse, unsure of what she should be doing. Logan was still unloading supplies from his horse and Elsa was about to start doing the same with hers, but she stopped when she realized she had no idea what to take down. Should she just take it all off? Would that be okay? Or are there only a few certain things that needed to be unloaded? If she took it all off, would it be a hassle to put it all back on in the morning? There was quite a lot of supplies here...

"Hey, don't touch anything," Logan called out, solving Elsa's dilemma for her. "I'll do it."

"Then what am I suppose to do?" She asked, stepping away from the supplies.

"Stay out of the way."

She rolled her eyes at his rude brush-off before turning away from her horse and started exploring the area they would be camping in for the night. She barely got three feet away before Logan called out again.

"And don't wander off. It's almost dusk. I don't want to have to root around a pitch dark forest, tripping over tree roots and falling on my ass all night just because you went and got yourself lost."

He barely even looked at her as his hands worked at unbinding one of their packs from the horse's saddle. Elsa wasn't even going to dignify his comment with a response. It wouldn't solve anything and it would probably only encourage him to talk _more,_ and she definitely didn't want that. She only rolled her eyes again as she made her way over to a large rock and sat down on top of it where she proceeded to "stay out of the way".

Things went on like that for a while, with Logan unloading supplies and Elsa sitting off to the side with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her palms, actually feeling a little bored, until the man dropped one of the bags on the ground and crouched down next to it. He rummaged through it for a few seconds, mumbled softly under his breath, before he pulled out something in a leather bound pouch tied closed with twine string.

"You need to eat something," He said.

He turned to Elsa and tossed the pouch in her direction, not even waiting to see if she would be able to catch it. The queen nearly stumbled off her rock as she lurched forward to catch the package thrown at her. It slipped from her gloved fingers when she first caught it, but she was able to get another grip on it when she scrambled to catch it a second time, right before it hit the ground. Once she was sure it wouldn't slip again, Elsa shot an annoyed glare at Logan's back.

' _Thanks for the warning, jerk._ '

She re-situated herself on her rock and looked down at the pouch resting in her lap. She turned it over curiously, prodding it with her fingertips until she found the little knot in the twine that kept the pouch closed. Not feeling particularly hungry, but also not in the mood to risk another conversation with Logan, Elsa exhaled softly through her nose as she worked at untying the knot. At first, she picked idly at it, trying to pull it loose with her nails, but when she realized it wasn't coming undone because her gloves were still on, she let out an annoyed sigh.

For the next several minutes, the dignified queen battled fiercely with the knotted twine in her lap, almost to the point where she became frustrated enough to try and undo it with her teeth. She was so focused on untangling the knot, she didn't notice she was being observed until she heard someone scoff.

"Here, I think you'd have better luck if you took these off-"

A hand suddenly entered her vision from the corner of her eye. Elsa gasped loudly at the movement, startling both of them. Out of habit, she yanked her hands back towards her body when Logan crouched down next to her rock and reached out to grab her gloved fingers.

There was a long moment of silence as her guide stared at her.

"What-"

"Sorry," She apologized quickly, cutting him off. She let out a forced, dismissive laugh and smiled, hoping to defuse the sudden tension between them. "You just startled me. I wasn't expecting you to...I'm sorry."

He didn't say anything. He just frowned at her, giving her a wary once-over before standing back up and moving towards his horse to finish unloading the supplies.

Things became a little awkward after that, but Logan didn't comment on it, which Elsa was grateful for. Once camp was set up and a fire was built, they sat on opposite sides of it and kept to themselves. There couldn't have been more than a few feet between them, but it might as well have been miles with how distant they both seemed to each other. Not that it really bothered the queen. Elsa still sat on her rock with her cloak wrapped around her and her gloves still on while Logan lounged across the ground on his side, with the weight of his torso propped up on his forearm. They ate a meal that consisted of mostly bread and dried deer meet, in silence, as they watched the flames dance on the ground in front of them.

After a while, Logan sat up to shrug off his suspenders to get more comfortable, letting them hang freely against the sides of his pants. He rearranged one of his packs into a makeshift pillow before laying down on his back. He still didn't say anything to her, but the dry, half-lidded look he shot at her from over the fire, told the queen that she should probably try and get some sleep. They would be leaving at dawn again and it wouldn't help either of them if she fell asleep on her horse, like she almost did today.

She stayed on top of her rock of solitude for a little while longer before gingerly slipping off of it. She lowered herself on top of a nearby patch of grass. It wasn't exactly a nice mattress, or even a lumpy cot, but she didn't really care. It was better than sleeping on the floor of a filthy cell. Her cloak helped soften things up, and once she followed Logan's lead and used a pack for a pillow, she found that she might actually be able to get some rest.

The sounds of crackling wood, chirping crickets, and even Logan's steady breathing, helped create a mellow atmosphere where Elsa felt comfortable enough to allow herself to relax. She turned on to her side and pulled her cloak around her tighter. It wasn't a particularly chilly night, not like the night before, but she did it more for show and comfort. Her blue eyes fell on the burning fire, slowly becoming mesmerized by the weaving flames.

As she waited for sleep to claim her, the events of the day started to replay through Elsa's mind. She wondered how exactly things had gotten to the point where they were now; her laying in the forest floor with an unfamiliar face, both barely managing to mask their mutual contempt towards their situation, and no doubt, each other.

She supposed epic, life changing journeys with strange men ran in the family. She could certainly see a pattern beginning to form.

When Anna first regaled the adventurous tale of how their cousin, Rapunzel, and her husband, Eugene, had met and fallen in love, Elsa had been utterly dumbstruck to hear that sweethearted Rapunzel had befriended a tavern full of dangerous thieves and scoundrels. It was difficult to imagine someone so similar to Anna interacting with anyone from the rougher side of society, _voluntarily_ , let alone successfully. The queen could understand it if her cousin had done it to lore the thick-headed criminals into a false sense of security in order for her and Eugene to make their escape, but to fully establish a friendship with those people? To invite them to her _wedding_? It may have tickled Anna's fancy to no end, but it completely blew Elsa's mind, and not in a good way.

Now, that's not to say that Elsa didn't believe bad people could do good deeds and turn their lives around, but did Rapunzel ever take the time to consider that most criminals were exceedingly good at lying and manipulating? Probably not. Eugene, maybe, since he had been one himself not too long ago, but Rapunzel could be just as trusting as Anna sometimes. It was just sheer luck that none of her cousin's "friends" ever felt the urge to turn on her in some way once Rapunzel was reinstated as a royal. Maybe the snow queen was wrong in that regard (to each their own, and whatnot), but trusting people easily wasn't in her nature. She didn't want to believe that she was someone who thought the absolute worse of people, but she could admit she was a bit of a pessimist sometimes. Anna was the optimistic sister.

In any case, though, that was all just Elsa's opinion. Corona wasn't her kingdom and Rapunzel was family. Just as long as she could stay as far away from the brutes when her cousin visited without seeming more standoffish than she already was, she didn't really care what kind of company her cousin kept.

_Anna_ on the other hand...Elsa would soon rather nail the hyperactive girl's feet to the floor than let her sister frolic through seedy taverns, befriending supposed axe murderers and hook-handed, wannabe pianists. Kristoff seemed to think along the same lines too, after catching the adventurous gleam in his girlfriend's eye, knowing that he would be forced to follow along with whatever crazy scheme Anna decided to act out. (It was a twenty-four hour job being Princess Anna's sweetheart.)

However, after her kidnapping and imprisonment by this "Dag" and his bandits, things had most definitely been put into perspective for Elsa. It was only then that she finally realized why Rapunzel acted so trusting towards her Yellow Duckling bunch of brutes.

As high as those men ranked on the scale of malevolent and insidious behavior; they were just a bunch of stray dogs. Dogs that only look mangy and dangerous on the outside. Dogs that talked big and greatly exaggerated their criminal exploits with grisly details and mean scowls. Dogs that would drop their "tough guy" charade at the first sign of acceptance, affection, and sunshine in their dismal lives, which came in the perfect form of Rapunzel, who had inspired them to leave behind their criminal ways and achieve their life dreams.

Elsa was not dealing with stray dogs.

Elsa was dealing with wolves.

Rabid wolves, readily willing to tear into skin and spill blood at the first sign of command from their pack leader. Willing to take other people's lives and destroy entire villages in an instant if it pleased the man who held their leashes and filled their bowls with riches and the promise of violence. They were dangerous just on their own, but under the leadership of an evil man like the one she had encountered, they could only do so much worse. From what Elsa had seen so far, they left a path of destruction and death wherever they went, and now they were currently biting at her heels, aiming for the huge bulls-eye seemingly painted on the queen's back, which could only lead to disaster if they ever caught up with her again.

However, in light of the here-and-now, the only question that Elsa really needed to ask herself, at this current moment in time, was the one pertaining to her "gracious" escort.

Her blue eyes trailed over the top of the flames in front of her, over to the figure across the way, who was laying on his back and staring up at the stars shining above them while tapping his fingers rhythmically on his chest.

Which one was Logan? A stray dog with no true bite looking for love and acceptance (she doubted it), or a savage wolf, howling and begging to launch himself at the queen as soon as her back was turned? If even _Elsa,_ the innocent one _,_ had a double motive in this thing, what double motives could _he_ possibly be hiding?

_Or,_ was this man - this sketchy, rude, thug-for-hire...something else entirely?

Elsa couldn't decide.

The only thing that she was certain about though, as she finally felt herself beginning to nod off, was that her journey _was_ _not_ going to end the same way Anna and Rapunzel's did. And whether that meant returning home, happy and healthy with a storybook ending, or falling in love with a rogue, or returning alive at all...Elsa couldn't decided that either.

And in all honesty, she was terrified to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Alrighty then, another chapter down. I think that's the only time I'll reference Tangled that heavily. I just thought it would be interesting to throw that in there. I always imagined Anna being tickled pink about the tavern full of thugs Rapunzel befriended, thinking it extremely exciting and romantic while Elsa would just be thinking "the fuck? Is this woman crazy?". And of course, the filler helps lends itself to the bandits chasing Elsa and the possibility that Logan could be just as bad.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading my new chapter. Once again, you can find this story on FanFiction.net, under the same penname, Scorpiofreak. I operate mainly on there and tend to post chapters more frequently on that account.
> 
> ~Scorpiofreak~


	5. Anna and Kristoff I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, back in Arendelle...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen or its characters.

Ever since the attack of the bandits and queen Elsa's abduction, the usually bright kingdom of Arendelle seemed to take on a permanent atmosphere of near-suffocating gloom. It was unsettling and unnatural.

Or at least, that's what it seemed like to Kristoff, who had been an outside observer of the kingdom ever since he could remember.

Perhaps the sun still shined as if nothing was amiss, and perhaps the birds still chirped and the waves of the harbor still churned, and the last ice harvest of the year was still coming to a close with what little remained of the warm weather, but there was a noticeable stagnation in the air, even worse than the one during the Great Freeze, two years ago. A proverbial storm cloud hung over the Arendelle castle, putting a heavy damper on the moods of everyone inside. Everyone worried for their missing queen, but none so more than the redheaded princess, who had taken to sulking in her bedroom for three days straight now after their latest search party had, yet again, turned up absolutely nothing that would lead them to their queen.

The sudden dip in Anna's upbeat behavior was uncharacteristic, especially in recent days.

Even in the face of her neverending worry, Anna remained optimistic when she first spearheaded an epic search for her sister just hours after the bandits' raid. It caused more of a stir than what the kingdom was probably ready for, but she had just about every able-bodied citizen in Arendelle out looking for Elsa, demanding that they search every square inch of the surrounding forests and territories. Kristoff had never seen the redhead so hot-blooded and determined to do something, and that was really saying something since this was the same girl who tried to scale a mountain at a hundred and eighty degree angle with absolutely no climbing equipment other than her hands and feet. It truly was a remarkable sight, seeing Anna take so much charge.

Now, if only she could manage her overall composure as well as she did Elsa's search parties, then maybe they would've actually turned up something useful by now.

Though the obvious devotion Anna had for her sister was admirable, the searches she conducted were rather counterproductive in some cases, unrealistic in others, and borderline aggressive in most. Kristoff couldn't even remember how many times he had to literally drag his fiance away from a random street vendor after her poor attempts at haggling information went seriously awry.

Even if Anna was determined to do something about Elsa's abduction (instead of "sitting around and being useless like a bunch of singing rock trolls" as she so eloquently put it), she was impatient and rather narrow-focused when it came to the big picture, and although that was pretty standard Anna behavior, even absentminded beings like Olaf couldn't help but notice that it was rubbing certain people the wrong way, namely neighboring kingdoms. Naturally, they didn't appreciate the royal guards of Arendelle combing through their territories without permission and the princess interrogating their citizens and then accusing them of being part of a conspiracy when they failed to disclose any useful leads.

Usually in cases where Anna's lack of grace and royal bedside manner caused a stir with other royals, Elsa was there to smooth over the rough corners her little sister might've impulsively cut, but now that the queenly peacekeeper was gone, that left Kristoff to deal with things. And since he had no idea how to deal with royals, he opted to just following Anna around everywhere she went while working with Sven and Olaf to keep her out of trouble, which wasn't necessarily an easy feat either since the ice harvester, more often than not, ended up babysitting _all three._ But it was _way_ better than the alternative.

Anna stayed optimistic through it all, but only because she had to for her own sake. Sort of like a "If I'm not laughing, I'm crying" type deal. She refused to let anything get to her; their completely ruined wedding that both sisters worked their fingers to the bone to plan, the damage the bandit raid caused to their castle garden and the number of casualties they left behind like garbage (which wasn't as high as it could've been, thankfully, but what little they _did_ lose was still no less devastating), and the total panic the citizens fell into when news of the raid and Elsa's kidnapping spread through the rest of the kingdom.

The panic was probably the hardest to deal with, but Kai, being the champ that he was, dealt with most of it. He told the gathered masses of squabbling townsfolk that the princess was held up safely in the castle, under the fierce protection of Arendelle's royal guard just in case the bandits came back. In reality, Kristoff and the sisters' head chambermaid, Gerda, practically had to wrestle the strawberry blonde to the ground to keep her from mounting Sven and riding off into the forest to look for Elsa without a single sense of direction. As soon as Kai got control of the citizens with his amazing powers of reassurance, Anna jumped into action and started conducting search parties with determined vigor. She chose to approach the whole thing the only way she knew how; in her uniquely Anna-style fashion.

However, as the days continued to pass with absolutely no word or clues as to where the queen was and who exactly had taken her - optimism began to gradually dwindle.

With the Great Freeze she had more of a proactive approach, knowing that Elsa couldn't have (and wouldn't have) gone very far on foot. Anna had seen the direction the queen had fled in and knew which way to go. Then, to further her good fortune, she ran into Kristoff at Oaken's trading post and he revealed that the storms were coming in from the North Mountain, which was then soon followed by the epic adventure that changed both their lives. But now, the circumstances were very different, and not in a good way. The bandits had gone just as quickly as they came and had left behind nothing but damaged property, a despondent kingdom, and more than a dozen ruined lives and broken families. They tried everything they could think of to pick up the bandits' trail, but there was next to nothing, and what little there actually was, the trails would all go cold after so many miles out.

It was a bittersweet sort of thing, naturally. They now knew that the bandits were no longer in Arendelle territory, and that they probably weren't in any neighboring kingdoms either, but that did nothing to narrow the search, not really. Yes, the possibility of Elsa being held captive and hidden right under their noses was out, but now they had to face the reality that their queen could literally be just about _anywhere_ at this point. And that was _not_ an easy revelation to deal with, regardless if you were the queen's sister, the queen's future brother-in-law, or the queen's followers. The disappointment was felt all over.

So that was generally how Kristoff found himself where he was now; standing way off to the side in Anna's bedroom, at a loss for something more productive to do while his melancholic fiance sat on the bench of her window, staring out through the stained-glass with a view overlooking the entire kingdom like a lonely widow waiting for her lost husband to return from sea.

A little melodramatic, yes, but he couldn't think of any better way to describe it.

Olaf sat on the bench next to her with his snowball feet hanging over the side and an unusually pensive look on his face. His snow flurry still floated above his head and his twig arms tapped nervously against each other as he tried to deal with the long silence they had been sitting in for quite some time now. It made him uncomfortable, being the social creature that he was, but he knew if he made any noise, it would annoy Anna and she would kick him out of her room again. The princess had become uncharacteristically snappish and easily agitated ever since she came back from the latest search party, empty-handed. On more than one occasion, she nearly yelled at the snowman to leave her alone when he tried to cheer her up by giving her a hug, even going so far as to push him aside with her foot; an action that may, or may not, have been done a little harder than necessary. (Kristoff told the little guy not to take it personally. _He_ certainly didn't. Anna had been biting his head off left and right for days now.)

She had become apathetic to pretty much anything that didn't involve looking for Elsa. Her wedding dress still laid discarded on a chair in the corner of the room. She had yet to give it over to her maids so they could clean out the grass marks on the skirt that obscenely stained the dove white material. Anna had been so excited about wearing that dress, her _mother's_ dress. Kristoff had to give Elsa some serious points for that. He couldn't think of a better wedding gift even if he tried. Anna had never looked so beautiful as when he first saw her enter the castle garden, walking- wait, no _gliding_ , down the gorgeously decorated wedding aisle with her sheer, lacey veil flowing behind her and her arm linked tightly with her sister's, who strolled proudly next to her with her usual queenly poise and grace.

Kristoff wasn't much of a romantic (or at least, that's what he always told himself), but that moment had been absolutely perfect. He had his doubts, his pre-wedding cold feet, just like any man would when he was about to marry the love of his life, but it all seemed to drift away when he finally saw Anna in her wedding dress. He remembered the way her green eyes darted anxiously around the garden, taking in the smiling faces of their wedding guests before they looked towards the altar and met Kristoff's. She gave him a nervous smile and a shy wave with the hand holding her bouquet (nearly making her drop it), which Kristoff returned with a big, goofy smile of his own. That moment made it all okay again. His doubts were eased, he was no longer as nervous as he was, his stuffy wedding suit felt a little looser, and he knew he was in the right place.

Yes, it was perfect.

But now, it was all gone, it was ruined, leaving behind nothing but a distraught bride and an albatross of guilt for the groom, who knew he should've done more to stop the chaos from upheaving their lives and felt horrible about it. He would've gone back for Elsa if he could, of course he would've, but there was no going back for the queen with the bandit leader standing menacingly over her fallen form. The red-cladded villain had an intimidating-looking blade held tightly in his hand and Kristoff had no doubt that he was more than willing to use it on anyone who dared cross him.

Anna never outright blamed him for not going back for Elsa, and maybe she really didn't, but Kristoff feared that she did. However, in lieu of other, more important matters, he tried not to focus too much on that. The _main_ problem was that Anna saw all of this as a waiting game, still clinging desperately on to her optimistic nature. She believed that if she held out long enough, Elsa would eventually turn up on her own. Kristoff didn't even try to talk her into considering...the alternative. That Elsa might be gone.

He didn't _like_ thinking that way, of course. He and Elsa weren't exactly the best of friends yet, but they were united in their deep love for Anna and Kristoff had come to care for the queen too, almost like the sister she would soon become to him. Anna wouldn't be the only one devastated by the queen's permanent absence. But it was a grim possibility that they would eventually need to acknowledge.

There was a loud knock on the door, pulling everyone in the room from their silent thoughts.

Olaf stopped tapping his twigs together as his eyes flickered up towards the door before shifting sideways to look at Kristoff. Anna didn't move from her spot.

"I'll get it," Kristoff announced quietly, his voice a little hoarse from misuse. He pushed off from the wall and made his way over to Anna's bedroom door.

When he opened it, Kristoff's eyebrows disappeared up into his blonde bangs when he saw the man standing on the other side of the door. He felt an unpleasant mixture of curiosity and apprehension when he recognized the man to be a member of the kingdom council. The ice harvester couldn't remember the official's name, but he had seen him around before, at balls and festivals with the other members. He was short and portly, with a belly that strained slightly against the buttons of his uniform. He had long, salt-and-pepper colored hair that was slicked back against his scalp and pulled into a ponytail at the base of his skull. There was also a small pair of eyeglasses perched on the tip of his partially bulbous nose.

Kristoff blinked down at the man.

"Oh, hey there, councilman..."

"Baard," The stout man finished.

"Yes, councilman Baard. Sorry," He smiled sheepishly before giving the official a questioning look. "So what can I do for you, sir?"

"I was hoping I could speak with Princess Anna," He said. "About some matters pertaining to the council."

Kristoff let out an uneasy hiss as he rubbed the back of his head, shooting a quick glance over his shoulder at his fiance before looking down at the other man with a frown. "You know, councilman, with much respect, I'm not so sure this is the best time..."

"As I would imagine so, but I'm afraid this is very important and must be addressed as soon as possible."

"Well..." Kristoff drawled as he rubbed his chin. "I guess if it's important I can let you try, but no promises she'll be much help."

He stepped aside to allow the official to enter.

"Of course, thank you, Master Bjorgman," Baard bowed his head in gratitude as he stepped into the room.

With practiced class and ramrod posture, the short man made his way purposefully across the room where the princess stared forlornly out the large, triangular window of her bedroom.

"Hello there, sir," Olaf greeted the official from the ground with a big smile and a wave. "You look kinda down today. Do you wanna a hug?"

"Perhaps later," He replied dismissively as he sidestepped the snowman. He stopped a respectful distance from where the princess sat, his back straight and his feet together. He barely gave the talking snowman a second glance. After almost two years of seeing it scurry around the castle, offering hugs to anyone who would allow it, Baard had gotten over the novelty of the strange creature a long time ago. "Princess Anna?"

The strawberry blonde gave a noncommittal grunt of acknowledgement as she continued to stare out the window.

"I have a list here-" Councilman Baard started, skipping the usual platitudes as he reached inside his olive green jacket and fished out a scroll. "-of tasks that the council would like me to discuss with you-"

"Give it to Kai. He'll handle it."

The official lagged for a moment, a bit thrown by the princess' calloused brush-off. "Yes...Well, I'm afraid, your majesty, these aren't issues I can discuss with the head servant."

"And why not?" She asked dryly, still not taking her eyes from the window. "He did just fine running the castle before Elsa became queen. I'm sure he can do it again until she comes back."

"These aren't just matters of the castle, your highness. This list includes affairs of the kingdom as a whole. There are certain things that require royal authorization. Something the head servant cannot give."

Anna let out a long-suffered sigh, waving indifferently at the council official. "Well, then just put those things aside in a "Later" pile and Elsa will deal with them when she gets home."

The older gentlemen blinked slowly at the princess, his bushy eyebrows raising above the rims of his glasses. "Your highness, you are aware of what all this means, don't you? In the event that queen Elsa...doesn't come back, it will be expected of _you_ to take her place."

A painful silence fell over the room as Kristoff and Olaf cringed at the foolish man's words. The room got so quiet, the lively fireplace in the corner of the room that had been crackling so distinctly just a few moments ago, seemed to give way to the silence. Kristoff shot a nervous glance in his fiance's direction, biting his lower lip. Anna had become completely rigid, and even though she was still facing the window, Kristoff knew the princess had probably gone as pale as a ghost.

Baard had said _the thing_. The forbidden _thing_. _The thing_ that everybody in the castle had gone considerably out of their way to avoid saying. _The thing_ that would mostly certainly cause the princess to completely freak out.

And she did. It took everything inside her small body not to start hyperventilating right on the spot.

Take Elsa's place? As in, take her place as _queen_?

Oh God, she hadn't even thought of that.

Oh God, _oh God_ , she hadn't even thought of that!

Anna's brain, previously teetering on the edge of catatonia, was suddenly alive and active again, jump-starting her heart and filling her entire body with a completely new set of thoughts and horrors. She honestly didn't know which part she should feel more freaked out about; the fact that people were expecting _her_ , of all people, to take Elsa's place, or the fact that they were considering such a ridiculous idea in the first place.

"What?" Anna breathed in disbelief as her head whipped around so fast, it was a miracle she didn't break her neck. "You've already started talking about this? Elsa has barely been gone a few weeks and already you're picking out her replacement!?"

"Anna-" Kristoff reached out and gently grabbed her wrist in an effort to calm her down.

"No!" She snatched her hand away. "It's way too early to be thinking like this! The bandits would've obviously taken her very far, far away, otherwise we would've found her by now! She needs time to find her way back. That's all she needs, time to find her way back!"

The councilman shot a nervous glance in Kristoff's direction, hoping to receive some kind of help from him, but the ice harvester only shook his head and gave him a look that said, ' _Don't do it, man_ '.

The kingdom of Arendelle had been in a state of inaction for far too long. The council could only be so patient with the princess before they would start giving themselves justification to take matters into their own hands, if they hadn't already. Princess Anna might not be aware of much beyond the walls of her room, but Baard was. He had served on the kingdom council for decades, longer than both the queen and princess had even been alive, as had most of the other council members. He knew these people, he knew how they could get in times of crisis. They could be quite ruthless sometimes, especially if they sense potential weakness in the kingdom, which was why they always gave queen Elsa a difficult time after the king and queen had passed. They thought her too young to rule, too inexperienced, and after the whole eternal winter fiasco, they had been searching for any excuse to wrestle away as much power from the queen as they could.

Baard felt bad for the young queen. However, Elsa proved to be quite resilient against the council with her utter indifference towards their personal opinions of her. She made the focus strictly business during their meetings and she kept emotion out of it. Baard had to respect her for that. Her training and studies had not gone to waste and she was entirely ready to fully immerse herself in her duties as queen. She came farther than any of them expected her to, even if the other members weren't willing to admit it.

Princess Anna, on the other hand...well, let's just say if her sister never returns home and she ends up taking the queen's place, Baard had no doubt they would eat her alive. Princess Anna had no way of dealing with the cutthroat minefield that was politics. Which made her cooperation during this crisis all the more important.

"With all due respect, your highness, how much time are you willing to give her? I realize this must be very difficult for you and everybody prays the queen will be returned safely, for both your sakes, but the kingdom needs a ruler. Not only are there homeland concerns in dire need of addressing, but news of Queen Elsa's abduction has already spread beyond our territory and with this weakness, rival kingdoms could be devising plans to move in on-"

"I'll give her all the time she needs!" Anna shouted, with a tone of desperation. She stood up from the bench and stomped her foot defiantly. "As much as it takes! And- and- and- when she _does_ come back, _you_ guys are going to feel _so stupid_! You might as well go pack your bags now, _pal_ , because when Elsa gets back, you are so fired!"

Baard's frown deepened as his own frustration. "Your majesty, please! I'm only trying to prepare you for what lies ahead. Nobody can force you to take on your sister's responsibilities, but you must realize there will be serious repercussions if you don't do _something._ Perhaps it is too early to start considering the queen's permanent absence, and I will try to convince the other members of the council to take that into consideration, but I implore you to think realistically here. If you continue to let your kingdom go on without a proper ruler, not only will you suffer the consequences, but your people will as well. If you insist so adamantly that queen Elsa will return, then there still needs to be a kingdom for her to come back to!"

He tried to keep his tone leveled in fear of coming off as disrespectful, but he couldn't stop his own concerns from sneaking their way in.

However, the princess didn't seem to any offence to him raising his voice to her. In fact, the spark of life that had ignited in her eyes only moments earlier was extinguished once again as she visibly deflated right before his eyes. Her scowl dropped and her features softened as Baard's words sunk in. Her eyes began to gloss over and her shoulders sagged. Baard and Kristoff stood by, exchanging uncertain glances while Anna stared at the ground, looking like a lost puppy.

"But...I don't know what to do. I can't help them. I'm just the spare. The spare's never actually supposed to be needed. That's why it's the spare!"

At the desperate crack in the young woman's voice, Baard felt his own tense shoulders loosen. He exhaled heavily through his nose as he resisted the urge to rub at his tired eyes. He hadn't come here to upset the princess.

He didn't want to be the bad guy.

"I know. However, please realize, Princess, I am loyal only to the reigning family. The other council members may not always act in you and your sister's best interest, but believe me when I say, I am doing everything in my power to help you."

The distraught princess didn't say anything as she lowered herself back on to the window bench with her head and eyes still turned towards the floor. Baard shot her a sympathetic frown before squaring his shoulders and collecting himself once again.

"I will keep the other members pacified for as long as I can so you may have some privacy to decide what you want to do, but I can't hold them off forever, your highness."

And with that, councilman Baard gave a respectful bow to the princess before turning on his heel. He nodded towards Kristoff as he stepped out of the room.

"Thanks," Kristoff mumbled as the man passed. "Have a goodnight, Councilman."

He shut the door behind the official.

Silence filled the room again as the latch clicked firmly back into place. Kristoff lingered by the door, debating whether or not he should let the matter of Elsa's abduction drop with councilman Baard's departure, or if he should try and stress it further. He knew the latter needed to be done sooner or later, but the former was blissfully easier and oh-so very tempting.

In the end, he decided he should take a chance and push further while things were, more or less, still up in the air. He could tell Baard's words got to Anna. Someone had actually almost gotten through and they pushed her that much further into finally accepting reality. And despite the pain the truth would most definitely cause his love, Kristoff knew it was probably for the best.

Taking a deep breath, he approached his fiance again and tentatively lowered himself down to sit on the edge of the bench. She didn't turn her head to look at him, but he saw her glance briefly at him from the corner of her eye before going back to the window. He decided to take that as an invitation and he reached out to gently lay a hand on her ankle, his thumb rubbing circles into the soft skin.

"Anna," He began. "You know it's been over a month since-"

The redhead didn't even wait to hear all of it. Her head snapped around again and she fixed him with a mean glare.

"Oh, what? Now you're on their side too!" She spat at him accusingly.

Kristoff's eyes widened in alarm as he stood back up with his hands held out in front of him. "No! No, of course not! I would never be on their side because I'm on your side! I'm always on your side, aren't I? Even when you're wrong!"

He was acutely aware that he had just said the entirely wrong thing in the entirely wrong way a second too late. The ice harvester flinched at his own stupidity and he quickly braced himself for his fiance's tiny blows.

' _Why me?_ ' He thought miserably.

Anna let out a disbelieving laugh as shocked offense splayed blatantly across her freckled face.

"Oh! So you think I'm wrong in this, do you?" Her glare intensified. She stood up from the window bench and placed her hands on her hips. "Wanting to believe my sister is still alive and not dead and buried in some shallow grave in the middle of nowhere is _wrong_?"

"No, that's not what I meant-"

Kristoff scrambled to fix his mistake, to rephrase his words, but it was too late. He had just won himself a golden ticket straight into the doghouse.

"Oh, just be quiet!" She snapped. "I don't want to hear it. This is all your fault anyways!"

He balked at her. "My fault!? How is this my fault!"

"Hey, come on guys," Olaf spoke up from his spot on the bench, waving his twig arm between them. "Please don't fight again."

Anna ignored him. "You should have went back for her! Things would've turned out so much differently if you would've just went back, or better yet, if you would've let _me_ go back! I tried to, I _wanted_ to, but you wouldn't let me! Things would've been different!"

Kristoff couldn't stop the indignant snort that escaped him. "Oh yeah, I'm in total agreement with you there, princess. If I had gone back, I would've gotten a sword through my chest, and if I had let you go back, you would've been kidnapped too! _Different_ doesn't mean _better_ , Anna. Maybe things would've gone much better if I had acted differently, but then again, they could've gone a lot worse too! I was just trying to keep my future wife safe, so don't blame this on me! It's what your sister would've wanted me to do and you know it!"

"Well at least if I had been taken too, then me and Elsa would've been together!" Anna fired back. "At least we wouldn't be in this nightmare alone! Yeah, I'm still here, safe and sound in our home, but what about Elsa, huh?"

"Oh my God, Anna!" Kristoff groaned in frustration as he ran his fingers through his hair and pulled on the blonde strands. "Elsa, Elsa, Elsa! This isn't just about Elsa anymore! I know you're worried about her and I am too, everybody is, but what about us, Anna!? Did you not just hear what councilman Baard said? If your sister doesn't come back, _you_ are going to have to take her place! The council is going to make you queen, and since we're getting married, by default, I'm going to be king, which is even worse! How the hell are we going to run an entire kingdom filled with people whose _lives_ are depending on us doing a good job when neither of us have had the proper training? It took the kingdom years and dozens of tutors to make Elsa the ruler she was- _is_ , today. How the hell are we going to measure up to that!?"

"I don't know, okay!? I don't know!" Anna shut her eyes tight and started pulling at her own hair. It was too much. It was all just too much for her. Anna could barely think straight anymore.

Things weren't suppose to go this way! She had a plan! A perfect plan! Her and Elsa planned the perfect wedding. It was everything Anna had dreamed it would be, right down to the very last detail. She worked on her wedding vows for months and practiced saying them in the mirror every morning while she brushed her hair and washed dry drool off her chin. She practiced her graceful walking everywhere she went so she wouldn't trip when she walked down the aisles. She nearly drove Elsa to freeze the kingdom all over again with all her crazy requests (but her sister still pulled through for her, even with the more ridiculous ones, like a fountain that ran both chocolate _and_ caramel). She even skipped out on breakfast and lunch the day of the wedding to avoid getting anything stuck in her teeth. She had done everything she was supposed to!

What happened to her plans? Where was the "happily ever after" that she and her sister deserved? Why was nobody fighting to keep the hope that Elsa will return alive?

Not only was Anna's home invaded by bandits, her wedding completely ruined, her sister missing and possibly in terrible danger, her kingdom in a panic, but now there was some stuffy council-jerk-man coming into her room and making things worse for her? Who was he to come barging in here, talking nonsense about Elsa not coming back and Anna taking her place?

And now he had Kristoff thinking the same way!

Oh, there was definitely going to be some serious changes to the council when this was all over.

"Just for once in your life, look at the bigger picture here, Anna!"

"I wouldn't have to if Elsa was back! We need to find her now before the council starts making decisions for her! We just need to _find her_!"

"And what if we don't!?" Kristoff finally yelled.

Silence dropped like a lead ball between them as Anna reared back in shock, looking as if he had just slapped her across the face. Olaf let out a gasp as he held his twig hands to his mouth and his eyes darted nervously between his two friends. Kristoff immediately felt lower than dirt when Anna's wide eyes glossed over again with unshed tears and she choked out the saddest sound he had ever heard in his life.

"Anna, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" He reached out to her with a miserable look on his face.

Anna only shook her head and backed away from him. "Get out."

"Anna, don't-"

" _Get out!_ " She screamed at him.

The red-faced princess picked up one of the throw pillows from the window bench and threw it at Kristoff. It hit him square in the chest, doing absolutely nothing other than make him realize he had just screwed up on a whole new level and that he should just leave now before he made things even worse. He gave Anna one last pleading look, but she wasn't having any of it. Her piercing glare spoke of all the hurtful things she wanted to throw in his face, like the one he had just thrown in hers.

Defeated, the ice harvester made for the bedroom door with a sad gait and his eyes downcast with guilt while Olaf trailed silently behind him.

When the door closed shut behind them, Anna looked back at the window with a fresh set of teary eyes. Her hands tightly gripped the sill of the window until the wood bit painfully into her palms and her knuckles turned white. She blinked her eyes and watched in the window's faint reflection as the tears streamed down her cheeks. Images of her sister began to flash inside her mind.

_'Hurry, Anna! Get up! We need to go!'_

_'Elsa!'_

_'Just keep running! Don't worry about me! I'm right behind you!'_

Anna shut her eyes tight and a stifled sob before walking over to her bed and curling into a ball on top of it.

"Liar," She whispered softly to herself as she broke down again and sobbed into her blankets.

~O~

_Elsa was running again._

_She was running for her life, just as she had done the night before, running through a pitch black forest without even the moon to light her way. Only this time, she knew she was being pursued. The heat of danger bared down on her shoulders, spurring her into running even faster as her frantic breaths doubled and her heart burned inside her chest._

_She was vaguely aware that she was wearing her ice dress, though she had no clue why, or how, that was. She could feel the thin, wispy material of the gown against her bare legs as she ran and the air brushing intimately along her exposed shoulders and neck. The sheer cape that trailed behind her snagged on branches and tree roots as she ran through the forest. She could feel the tugs against her shoulder blades where the cape connected to her dress. At one point she thought she heard the sound of fabric ripping after a particularly strong tug, but she didn't dare look back to find out. Yes, the material had been pretty, but not enough to risk her life over._

_The shouts of the bandits and their howling dogs rang constantly in her ears, not once lessening in volume no matter how fast or how far she ran. It made her wonder whether her attackers were truly behind her, or if it was just all in her head and she was running through an empty forest. She couldn't stop, though. Her legs were permanently set to flight and they yielded to no command from her hectic mind. The only thing she knew now was that there was a horrible threat dogging her heels. Death was out to get her. It held a personal vendetta against her and it was determined to drag her down. She had to keep moving._

_However, just as she was starting to believe that she would run right off the edge of the world, a gust of wind blindsided her and a burst of snow shot down from the heavens and landed right in her path, forcing the queen to skid to a sudden stop that almost had her tripping over her own feet and crashing against the ground. Her arms spun like pinwheels to keep her balance and she stepped awkwardly on the heel of her shoe, making her ankle bend painfully to the side for a second before she righted it (why the hell did she ever think it was a good idea to wear heels with this dress!?)._

_Once she stood upright again, Elsa gasped when she looked up and watched as a rabid dog with mud brown fur sprung from the snow mound in front of her. Specks of snow rained down on her in a fine mist as the mutt shook itself dry and fixed the queen with glowing red eyes. It let out a low growl from between a broken muzzle, baring its teeth at her. She held her hands close to her chest while her feet began to move backwards away from the drooling canine that was slowly making its way towards her. It eyed her like a slab of freshly butchered meat._

_More growls suddenly sounded out as the wind blew in a violent blizzard and several more dogs appeared from within the dark forest. They stalked closer to Elsa, forming a deadly circle of teeth and claws around the trembling queen._

_"Stay back!" She warned them._

_She threw out her hands with the intent of using her ice powers to throw back the dogs and freeze her way out of trouble, but she choked on a sob when nothing happened. Her hands hung uselessly in the air, void of the feeling of frost shooting from her fingertips. She repeated the motion several more times, each one more urgent than the last. The dogs continued to advance on her, untouched by her ice._

_"No, no, no!"_

_Throwing her hands down in defeat, the queen braced herself and screamed as the dogs lunged at her. They piled on top of her with their biting teeth and filthy nails. Elsa felt them land on her back and shove her against the ground. The scent of wet dog invaded her senses, choking her. They tore at her dress and skin, crushing her with their large paws. She felt like she was drowning beneath them, but as soon as she thought the word "drowning", the fur against her skin became softer and began to lose its form and Elsa's surroundings started to change with the spontaneity of nightmares. She let out another gasp when the dogs randomly melted into globs of mud and she found herself sinking deeper into the pit of quicksand that was her subconscious. She barely had time to suck in a big gulp of air before the mud spilled over her head and swallowed her whole._

_She was then falling, falling from somewhere high up and into a dark oblivion below._

_The ground came up to meet her out of nowhere. Her shoulder impacted harshly with hard stone and the air was knocked right of her lungs. She coughed and choked as the jarring sensation rattled her bones. Her body laid motionless on the ground as the queen let out a groan and rolled on to her back. Her blues eyes trailed upwards to see a stone ceiling above her and she immediately realized where she was. Back inside the bandits' dungeon._

_There wasn't much fight left in her to start panicking again. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Elsa knew none of this could be real. The haze of the nightmare was just that, a thin haze. The images her brain was kicking up to torment her were still disturbing and she couldn't stop herself from reacting to the imaginary danger, but on a higher level she knew what this all was. With another groan, the queen dragged herself up into a sitting position and looked around the dungeon. Before she could collect herself and climb to her feet, a loud rumble surged through the dungeon and Elsa's heart spiked with panic again when she realized the stone walls around her were starting to close in. They were going to crush her!_

_She screamed, bracing her arms and feet against the walls and floor to stop them from closing in on her. The scraping sound of stone against stone grated harshly in her ears, making it impossible to think._

_"Stop!"_

_In an instant, the dungeon walls fell away and she found herself standing in nothing but darkness. She could still see, she could still look down and see her ice dress giving off a brilliant blue hue, but it was like she was in a black painted box, trapped inside with a heavy lock to keep her from escaping. Fog clouded along the ground, so thick she couldn't see her own feet, and every time she moved, she would kick up wisps that would curl slowly in the air like smoke. The atmosphere of her dream had changed. Before, it was one thing after another. Her nightmare would shift constantly without warning, leaving her no time to react before another terrifying figment of her own subconscious was thrown in her face. Now, though, all seemed calm. Still eerie in the sense of being surrounded by infinite darkness, but it was quiet and Elsa was alone._

_"Hey," A new voice suddenly spoke up, startling her out of her thoughts._

_Elsa whipped around to see Logan standing behind her with his arms folded across his chest and an annoyed scowl on his face. His dark bangs hung carefree in his eyes and she could see the hazel irises staring intensely at her from behind the strands._

_"Wake up," He demanded._

_She looked at him with wide eyes, unsure if he was even real. "What?"_

_"Wake up," He said again, a little more insistent as he took a step closer._

_Elsa only blinked at him, taking a step back._

_His scowl deepened with a growl and he stepped closer to her, roughly grabbing her arm before she could move away. Elsa stared down at the hand wrapped tightly around her upper arm and let out a horrified gasp when flames erupted from beneath his palm. The bright fire quickly spread from his hand, dancing up her arm and licking painfully at her skin. She tried to pull away, but the grip around her arm was iron._

_She looked up again at Logan's face as the flames continued to spread all along her body, to plead for him to let her go, but only to balk in terror when she found herself now face to face with the bandit leader. He stared menacingly at her with soulless brown eyes, the bottom half of his face still obscured behind a red bandanna. Elsa lashed out with her free arm to hit him, slap him, claw her nails down his face, but he quickly caught it. She screamed her rage and fear at him, but he only laughed at her like one would at a child throwing a tantrum._ _He tore away the red cloth that covered the bottom half of his face and grin madly at her, revealing a set of razor-sharp teeth._

_Now completely engulfed in fire, Elsa thrashed like a madwoman as the bandit leader unhinged his jaw and opened his mouth to swallow her whole. He lunged at her._

_"I said-"_

"Wake up!"

Elsa's eyes snapped open in panic and her body sprung upright.

She sucked in a mouthful of air like she was drowning. Her eyes darted around her surroundings, seeking out the danger she had just been battling. It took her a few seconds to realize she was back in the forest. Not the forest from her nightmare, but the one she had fallen asleep in last night. Dawn was slowly peeking in from between the trees and along the horizon, the sun beginning its morning climb into an already cloudy sky.

Logan was crouching next to her, wearing the same expression he was in her nightmare, but he had his hands firmly to himself, hanging between his bent knees as he regarded her with a bored frown. Her distress was obvious and she knew he had taken notice by the way his eyes moved along her face and body, taking in her frazzled state, but he didn't comment on it.

"Jesus, you're a heavy sleeper," He said as he stood up straight again. He prodded the side of her leg with the tip of his boot. "Get up. It's time to go."

Elsa released a shuddered breath once Logan walked away, letting the remnants of her nightmare go as she forced herself to calm down enough to get up for the day. She threw a wary glance in her guide's direction and watched him as he started packing up the few supplies they had unloaded last night.

The queen reached up and gently combed her fingers through her hair, undoing and then redoing her braid as she fought back a yawn. She must've been asleep for a couple of hours, but she still felt exhausted, like she had only slept five minutes. It also didn't feel nice when she moved to stretch her limbs and found that her entire body felt stiff. No doubt from laying on the bumpy forest floor all night. She fought back the urge to groan in discomfort as she pulled her blue cloak up on to her shoulders and climbed to her feet.

She reared back in surprise when she saw a frosty silhouette of her balled up figure on the dying grass where she had been laying. Like a white shadow, it was almost a perfect outline of her. It glowed and sparkled faintly as the brightening sky reflected off the ice. Elsa quickly looked up to see if Logan had noticed, dreading how she was going to explain her way out of this one, but when she saw that he still had his back turned, she quickly kicked around some loose dirt to cover up the patch of frost.

This was an unsettling development.

Elsa figured she would have nightmares about her time spent with the bandits, but she was hoping the full effect wouldn't hit her until she was safe at home in her kingdom, where it wouldn't matter if she froze her room in her sleep. If the nightmares were going to keep plaguing her every time she closed her eyes, then hiding her powers was going to be a lot harder than she realized. If that was even possible.

"Damn," Logan's disgruntled voice pulled back her attention. He was looking up towards the sky with a frown as little snowflakes started to drift down from above. "It's not suppose to snow for another two weeks, _at least_."

Elsa resisted the urge to flinch as she looked up. Though the raising sun was still able to shine its way through, the sky was undoubtedly overcast.

"Is that going to be a problem?" She asked, trying to sound casual about it while she threw another wary glance at his back from the corner of her eye.

"Not really, I suppose. I was just hoping the good weather would hold out a little longer," He said as he reached into his pack and pulled out a dark grey pea coat he had snatched from an inebriated sailor last winter. He shook the dust and lint off of it and pulled it on before smoothing out the front. He then hauled himself on to his horse. "The cold doesn't bother me much."

"Yeah," Elsa mumbled, stifling an unladylike snort at the comment as she mounted her horse. "Me neither."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I introduced yet another OC in this chapter, Councilman Baard, but he's only going to be a minor one, like Tobias, except a little more long-term. He inadvertently becomes Anna's own adviser since he's really the only member of the council willing to help her and Kristoff deal with things.
> 
> I wasn't really planning on involving Anna and Kristoff much beyond this chapter (other than the end of the story), but I decided I might try switching off between the sisters since this chapter gave me a lot of interesting material to work off of. I probably won't alternate between them chapter to chapter, though. Depending on how long this thing turns out to be, I'll probably do a chapter showing the going-ons in Arendelle after a few chapters of Elsa and Logan doing their thing.
> 
> And sorry if things are a little overdramatic right now, but it needs to be done. Now that I've established both sisters in the story and we're fully on our way in the story, I'll try to lighten things up a bit.


	6. The Rules and the Marketplace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa finds out a little more about Logan and what he does for a living.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mild cursing and a little violence
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen or its characters.

His hair looked black again today, Elsa noticed.

She supposed it was a rather odd thing to fixate on, but after three days of staring at nothing but green trees, green bushes, green grass, green, green, and more _green_ \- it was inevitable that her focus eventually settled on her guide; the only other human being she has had any contact with in days.

It had been three days since they had started on their journey together and during that time a rather uneventful routine had established itself, one that neither of them strayed from. It consisted of rising at the crack of dawn after spending the night on the forest floor, meandering on horseback all day with only a word or two exchanged between them, a short lunch break, more horseback, setting up camp at dusk, eating another meal of rice and jerky, falling into a restless sleep and then waking up the next morning to do it all over again.

Up until that point, Elsa had forced herself to remain stoic and alert, ready to bolt at a moments notice if she needed to, but it was hard to keep that up for three days straight, especially since Logan had not offered up any sort of travel agenda, which left her no choice but to follow him blindly. The days began to blur together and as soon as the queen was made aware of this dull routine, her mind began to wander, causing her to think about the most pointless things. Like her guide's hair color.

Again, Elsa found it ridiculous that her brain was so starved for stimuli, that her thoughts converged around such a stupid subject, but she just had to look at something new. Logan's hair seemed the most innocent to observe and less awkward to explain if she were to be caught staring. She rather not look at him at all, but she felt that if she looked at the color green for a single second longer, she would be sick. Her complexion would change color to match her repetitive surroundings and she would lose her lunch over the side of her horse.

It was overcast again today, just as it had been everyday, which didn't help anything. Logan had stripped off his coat as the weather warmed up, leaving him in just his grey shirt and navy blue scarf. The air had a crisp feel to it, but it wasn't nearly cold enough to warrant snowfall. The clouded sky left the world below in a grey shade of lighting, making the days seem shorter than they already were and making certain things look darker in color than they should be, like they did indoors.

' _Well of course it's going to look black indoors. Everybody's hair looks darker indoors. Only, it was clearly brown the next morning when I saw him, with the sun out. It could've just been a trick of the light. Dark hair does that, doesn't it? Because black reflects all kinds of color when light hits it, right? Let's just go with black. Brown has no business being that dark and what does it matter anyways? It's obviously black. I don't see why- Am I honestly bored right now?_ '

She silently berated herself. The very thought downplayed the total seriousness of the situation, making her feel as if her guide's infuriating nonchalance was finally starting to rub off on her and make her lose sight of what was important, which was getting back home, _alive_ , to protect her sister from bandits. This was entirely unacceptable. She shouldn't be feeling _bored_.

Still, it was there, that irritating gnawing of boredom eating away at the back of her skull.

She let out an exasperated puff of air from between her lips, causing a strand of blonde hair resting against her forehead to flip up as her eyes rolled upwards. The small of her back and bottom were starting to ache again from sitting upright on her saddle for so long without stopping. The silence between the two travelers started to make itself known and irritation began to build up in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes trailed back to her guide before moving down the back of his head until they landed on the black lines on his neck, peeking out from the neckline of his shirt.

' _I wonder what kind of tattoo that is. Did it hurt? I've heard before that it hurts to get a tattoo. It looks like it's part of a bigger design- Oh my God, I'm doing it again._ '

"Hey!"

Elsa snapped out of her thoughts when Logan suddenly spoke. Apprehension replaced boredom as he turned to look at her over his shoulder, his mouth set in a frown. Had he noticed her studying him?

"What?" She asked, trying not to look guilty.

He looked forward again, "We're coming up on a town in a couple of miles," He raised an arm to point out something in the distance. "We'll stop there to restock our supplies."

He didn't wait for a reply and Elsa didn't give one. She didn't care much about their supplies. She knew she should since they had to be important if Logan felt the need to bring them, but she didn't really know what they were. Logan never let her touch anything when it came to unloading the horses, so it was hard to even pretend to care. However, she did feel relieved at the prospect of stopping. The "couple of miles" part didn't sound as promising, and her bottom smarted again in response. It was still something to look forward to, at least. They had yet to come across any sort of town or village and it would be nice to stretch her legs and perhaps have a little social interaction with someone other than Logan, even if she didn't actually speak to anyone.

Feeling a little more chipper (for a lack of a better word), Elsa let her mind wander again, freely and without guilt, to help pass the time. She avoided studying her guide again; instead, choosing to focus on the spotted fur pattern of Logan's horse.

Logan felt relief of his own when he saw the sign propped up on the side of the road, announcing they would soon be entering a town. A sign that his fellow traveler had apparently missed because she was staring at him. He hadn't needed to turn around to know that she was. He could practically feel her gaze burning a hole in the back of his head. It took every ounce of self-restraint inside of him not to turn around and tell her off. His patience was already wearing thin as it was.

Although, if he were to be honest with himself, that wasn't the girl's fault. Not entirely.

He had been an ass to her, he would admit. His ego wasn't so fragile that he couldn't handle admitting when he was being an ass. Of course, Elsa barely knew him so she probably just assumed he was _always_ an ass and had decided to make peace with it, but he wasn't, or at least, he would like to think he wasn't. He was just pissed. Not at the girl (though, she did have this uppity way of holding herself that kind of annoyed him). No, He was pissed at himself for a personal screw up that had nothing to do with their current situation. He was pissed for letting himself get stuck in a position where he needed to take jobs he didn't really want.

A very long story short, a favor for an old man with a bad knee and disapproving stare wasn't the only reason he had taken the job. Much as it caused many people to do some very stupid things, _stupider_ than what he was doing now - Logan's main motive for taking the job was money troubles.

Embarrassing? Yes - especially since he had always considered himself good at managing his money. In his own defense, however, it wasn't anything that he couldn't fix. He wasn't so deep in the hole that he couldn't dig himself out. He had just overestimated how much money he had and by the time he realized his mistake, he had hit a rather brutal dry spell in job prospects, leaving him with no real source of income and the urge to punch something, hard. So when Tobias came to him with his little escort job, which set off a whole mess of red flags in his head the moment the word "bandits" was dropped, Logan wasn't really in a position to turn it down.

Of course, he didn't let on to this fact (couldn't seem desperate. No, no, no).

Projection was what it was, really. Every time he snapped at her, whether she actually deserved it or not, Logan felt a tiny twinge of guilt inside his chest, despite himself. You really had to feel sorry for the girl, and not just because she had someone like Dag and his goons dogging her heels. She was a complete wreck. Sure, she put up a rather convincing front, with the way she held her chin high and steeled her expression against all emotion, but it was her eyes that betrayed her. Those pretty blue eyes set inside an even prettier face. They had a dullness to them. A dullness that mixed intimately with toxic feelings like doubt and uncertainty that would eat a person up inside. She was putting up a good fight, but Logan could see it took every ounce of strength inside her slim figure not to break down and let go whatever it was she was holding back. She was tough in that regard, he'd give her that, but everyone had their breaking points.

This was a long journey they were on together, one that could turn South at any point if they had a run-in with Dag and his bandits. If they couldn't get along, then it was going to be an even longer journey. They didn't have to be friends. They didn't even necessarily have to _like_ each other. But as much as it pained him to admit, Logan couldn't take on the full blunt of the journey on his own. It was just too big. Eventually, they would have to work together, and working together would go much more smoothly if they weren't trying to tear each other's throats out.

So on that note, Logan exhaled heavily through his nose as his tongue propped the inside of his cheek in thought. When he finally came to a decision, he pulled firmly on the reigns of his horse so he would fall into step with the fair-haired woman. She gave him a wary look as he did so, but he ignored it. A brief silence fell again and her gaze landed back on her hands.

"So," He drawled idly, trying to dredge up a conversation to break the boring silence. "Which prince was it?"

She remained quiet, but he could read her questioning expression easily.

"Which prince did your ruler marry?" He clarified.

Elsa gnawed on her bottom lip, debating whether she should answer. Ignoring the question would only serve to annoy Logan, but she had decided from the beginning that she wasn't going to further involve Anna in anything, including conversation. Logan had already pulled apart one of her stories with alarming ease. She didn't want to risk saying the wrong thing and get trapped in another lie. He had already made it clear that if she lied to him again, she was on her own. Despite the boredom, the queen felt somewhat grateful that the last few days were spent in silence, helping her avoid that very problem. However, now it seemed Logan was finally looking to fill the silence. God knows why.

"Princess Anna didn't marry a prince - or, she _isn't_ marrying a prince, I mean," She eventually offered up. "The bandits attacked the castle before the ceremony was completed, so I don't think they're technically married yet."

Of course someone might argue that the princess would've probably picked up where the ceremony left off as soon as the dust had settled and the bandits were gone, but that person wouldn't be privy to the fact that Elsa was the princess' sister, the queen. Anna wouldn't have done that. It wasn't just hopeful thinking on Elsa's part. She knew Anna and Kristoff wouldn't go ahead with the ceremony until Elsa returned, or until solid evidence presented itself telling them that she never would.

"So what kind of guy is she marrying then?" Logan asked. "A duke? Count? A decorated soldier maybe? It's gotta be a pretty high title if it isn't a prince. If royals can't snag someone on their level, they at least strive for someone impressive."

Elsa resisted the urge to scoff. As if someone like _him_ would know anything about royal titles and how they interacted with each other. Still, it was another difficult question. She hesitated again, but this time, for a different reason other than protecting her cover story.

Kristoff's "title" was kind of...silly, to say the very least. Mostly because _she_ made it up, and rather spontaneously, too. She thought of the title almost completely out of the blue when she sought out to repay the ice harvester for all he had done for her kingdom. The new sled she had given him didn't feel like enough to fully express her gratitude, so Elsa upped the ante, just because she could. At the time, the title didn't sound ridiculous, but when repeated back to her by a dubious (but " still totally grateful, your highness") Kristoff some time later, she blushed and apologized for not coming up with something better. And although, over time, the title did eventually start to mean something significant in the kingdom of Arendelle, Elsa had no doubt it still sounded like something entirely made up to an outsider like Logan.

"She's marrying the Ice Master and Deliverer of Arendelle."

Ugh, Kristoff was right. That was a horrible name. It rolled off the tongue like rock.

"Ice master?" Logan echoed, wearing the same funny expression as Kristoff. "That's a real thing?"

"Only in recent years."

"I thought royalty can only marry other royalty, or someone with a title of high social standing."

"Not when you're the-"

Elsa was about to say "the second born" (or the "spare" as Anna sometimes liked to put it), but she caught herself. It was true, though. Anna's expectations in the kingdom were a lot more lax than Elsa's.

"Er...in Arendelle...apparently," She corrected lamely. "The main export is ice, so the title makes much more sense in Arendelle than it does out here."

Logan pursed his lips before nodding. "Alright, I can believe that. Still though, it sounds like something someone made up on the spot. Like they couldn't be bothered to sit down for five minutes and think of something better-"

"So what about you," Elsa asked, cutting him off and changing the subject. "What are you, Mr. Massett? Some sort of bodyguard? Professional thug?"

He let out a short puff of air that sounded suspiciously like a snort. "You just love calling me that, don't you?"

"Am I wrong?"

He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes while gnawing thoughtfully on the inside of his cheek, as if he couldn't quite find the words to explain what it was he did for a living. "Not completely. I'm sort of what you might call an...independent contractor."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," He breathed after another pause. "When someone has a difficult job they can't do, or aren't willing to do, they come to me."

"And what kind of "job" would that be?"

"Pretty much anything, I suppose," He held up a hand and started counting off the different types of "jobs" he's had in the past with his fingers. "Protection detail, security, delivering goods of a sensitive, valuable, or secretive nature. Escorting - which is what _this_ is," He gestured between them. "Debt collection. Private investigating - my personal favorite. Don't get to do it too often - and sometimes even typical stuff, like construction and manual labor."

"And your employers?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Depends on who's asking and how much it pays. My jobs come from word-of-mouth mostly. Usually they're just townsfolk, commoners, like an old peddler looking for someone to help him get his wares to market safely. Occasionally, I'll get a noble or two. Someone hiring me to recover stolen property or find proof of infidelity in their spouse. I've even done some jobs for royals too, employed via advocates or personal servants, if they don't want to be seen interacting with someone like me directly, which usually falls under the "hush-hush" category of business."

Elsa mulled over this new information to herself, unsure of how she should feel about all of it. Logan caught her pensive expression and frowned slightly.

"I won't lie to you, because there wouldn't be much point in it. I know what you already think of me, Ms. Snow. I'm not blind. Most of what I do is less than wholesome stuff, and I have to be a "thug" to get the job done. But _sometimes,_ I'll find good, honest work, and I can pretend to be a decent citizen for a while. It all really depends on the situation and how hard up I am for cash."

Elsa listened as he talked, admittedly a little enthralled by what he was saying. His life and choice of "career" seemed so...she didn't want to say _exciting_ because then that might lead to _condoning_ if she wasn't careful, but it was definitely something else, something interesting. The way he talked about it, his lifestyle just seemed so versatile, like he could _do_ anything, _be_ anyone, and _go_ anywhere he wanted at a moment's notice, leaving him free and entirely adaptable to any situation. Of course there were dangerous aspects to the kind of life he was describing, but he sounded so confident and undeterred by it, like potential death tasks weren't even big enough for him to waste time worrying about.

His tone wasn't boastful. He wasn't rattling off his many "less than wholesome" exploits like they were epic accomplishments, things he could gloat about and feel proud of. He barely showed any reaction at all. He was factual as he spoke, telling her exactly what it was he did because she had asked. He was open and honest with her, but at the same time, still vague. It was both refreshing and frustrating all at the same time, and it annoyed the queen for some reason.

She shouldn't be impressed by him. She _wasn't_ impressed by him. But she'd be lying if she said her curiosity wasn't at least piqued. If just a little bit. His world was vastly different from hers. A life as a self-employed, all-purpose wanderer was something incomparable to that of a sheltered, high-pressured (and sometimes a little repetitive) life as a reigning royal.

_That_ was what had to be annoying her. Everything Logan had just said should've told Elsa everything she needed to know about him, that she was right, that he was a criminal and that he wasn't trustworthy. He had proved her right, had he not? Admitted to what she suspected of him? So then why did she find herself wanting to know more? Was it some subconscious attempt at living vicariously through someone? She remembered doing something similar with Kristoff when he would share stories of his life as an orphaned outdoors-man. Her and Anna would sit around the dinner table with him and listen as he told them what it was like living outside of a castle, growing up without all the privileges the sisters had, and how hard he had to work to establish himself as an ice harvester with no one but a loyal reindeer for companionship and support.

"How do you decide which jobs to take and which ones to refuse?" She asked.

"I'll take pretty much any job, just as long as it doesn't infringe on any of my rules."

What rules, Elsa was about to ask, but was interrupted when Logan suddenly raised a hand, abruptly ending the discussion.

"Later," He said, seemingly reading her mind. "We're coming up on the town. Look alive."

She should've been peeved about being cut off, but something in his tone caught her attention.

He hadn't said much just then, but for a brief moment, the way he spoke made Elsa regard him closely. Interestingly enough, it wasn't just a clipped tone he had spoken with, she noticed. There was definitely a commanding one somewhere in there, delivered with an almost unconscious ease only a person used to being in charge could manage. A person like...well, a person like herself. A leader.

She thought that was a bit strange coming from Logan, considering the picture he had painted of himself was that of a natural loner. Someone who kept to themselves, despite being so confident. She couldn't imagine him spending much time around anyone he didn't have to (which wouldn't be anyone at all since he considered himself an "independent" contractor), let alone being in charge of a whole group of people. Still though, she knew she had heard it, that "my word is law" tone of voice. Interesting.

Logan pointed ahead of them, towards the faint hint of civilization peeking through the tall trees. Elsa's restlessness blossomed anew when she realized they were about to make the supplies stop that he had promised. Her previous thoughts about her sketchy guide immediately fell out of her head as she shifted uncomfortably on her saddle, ready to dismount as soon as they stopped.

When they pulled into town, Logan found a good spot to tie up their horses and leave their belongings where they would be less likely to be stolen. Elsa stood off to the side while she waited for him to finish, stretching her arms above her head and letting out a happy groan at the sweet release of tension in her muscles. Once their horses were secure, he ushered them into town and headed directly for the market. He kept his eyes firmly on their surroundings as they weaved their way through the busy crowd of market patrons, his brow knotted and a hard look on his face as he weeded out potential threats.

Elsa knew she should do the same, if only to seem more competent "in the field", so to speak, but she couldn't stop staring at the many strange characters around her. Back before all this started, it was a rare occasion that the ice queen would set aside her paperwork and leave the castle to join Anna on a stroll through Arendelle's own market place. It was always an enlightening experience to interact with her people on a more personal level, face-to-face, but it was never quite like this. For one thing, everybody knew who Elsa was in Arendelle, and out of respect, her people always went out of their way to gain their queen's attention somehow - put on a little show to impress and please her. She could never be just an anonymous bystander in her kingdom.

This was the first time Elsa's ever blended into a crowd. The first time she has ever been just another blank face in a sea of bustling bodies. It was a jarring sensation and she found herself soaking up every minute of it.

On their right, the two passed by a small group of hunters, all proudly displaying the magnificent furs they had brought with them to sell as they unloaded their wagon. On their left, there was a tall, balding man with long limbs and big ears, wearing a bright, yellow tunic that clashed horribly with his pale complexion. He stood next to a busty older woman with gun-metal grey hair and way too many children running around her legs as the apparent couple argued with a plump baker over bread rolls.

There was a pair of young girls (sisters, by the looks of it) handing out bags of fruit as their father, a man with a bushy mustache and kind eyes, took the money from their customers. The sight of them reminded Elsa fondly of her and Anna when they were younger. They held each others hands as they took turns presenting the customers with their new purchase. One of the girls - a brunette with braids and a pink birthmark along her jaw - caught eyes with Elsa and waved. She smiled and waved back as she and Logan passed.

There was a surly man with cropped, red hair, holding a picket sign with the words "the end is nigh" painted across it in bold, black lettering. He stood on the sidelines, watching the people walk past him with a subtle air of disdain, as if he was watching animals in a zoo and pitying their oblivious existences. He also caught eyes with Elsa, very briefly as they passed by his alley, but his gaze was disturbingly empty and the queen had to look away.

Peddlers of all shapes and sizes preened from their stands, trying to coax the two newcomers into buying their merchandise. Logan didn't even glance at them as he shouldered his way through the market.

The further they moved inward, the more Elsa adjusted to being around people again. She still kept her arms tucked inside her cloak, just as a precaution. Her powers weren't as trigger-sensitive as they were back when she suppressed them, but she hadn't used them freely since the day of Anna's wedding, which had to be at least a month ago by now. The build-up of her powers wasn't as hard to manage anymore either, but stress was always a powerful inciter. She didn't want to accidentally expose her powers because of a loud noise startling her, or a sudden movement by a stranger.

Elsa looked towards Logan when he finally slowed down to a browsing gait, seeming to finally come across the type of stands they needed to visit. There were less people on this side of the market and after about twenty minutes of moving from stand to stand, Elsa decided to try and pick up where their earlier conversation left off. She reached out and tugged on one of Logan's suspenders. He was in the middle of haggling over the price of some kind of rope when he felt her pull on him. At first, she thought he was going to shrug her off and tell her to get lost, but to her surprise, he concluded his business with the peddler before leaning down a bit closer to her level to hear better.

"May I ask you something?" She asked.

"Sure," He said, his eyes going back to scanning the crowd.

"Back on the trail, you mentioned you had a set of rules?"

His gaze snapped down to meet hers. "Yeah?"

"What are they?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Yes, Elsa, why _do_ you want to know, she asked herself.

"I don't know," She answered honestly, shrugging her shoulders.

Logan regarded her closely like she had done to him, no longer paying attention to the faces floating around them. A few moments passed before he looked away and moved towards a nearby produce stand. Elsa came up behind him as he eyed the stand's selection of red apples.

"Five rules," He finally said, holding up a hand again to count them off. "Number one; no lying. You should already be familiar with this one. Like I said, I don't live a very safe lifestyle, so I value job security to make sure I'm not signing my death warrant every time I take a job. Which brings me to number two; preemptive discussion. I like to talk to my prospective employers before I agree to take their jobs. I want to know I little about them so I can get an idea of who I'll be dealing with."

"Like you did with me back in the tavern?"

"Exactly, and I found you irritating, but harmless," He smirked at her, causing Elsa to bite down on her tongue before she could say something rude. He continued on as he picked out a bag of apples and handed over a few coins to the peddler. "Number three; no I-owe-you's. Whatever payment we agree upon, I want half before I start the job and half when I finish it. Some of the stuff I do requires a certain level of risk. If there's a possibility I could die on a job, I'm going to make sure I'm not screwed over if I survive."

"You've already broken two of these rules with me. Does that make me special?" Elsa couldn't help the slight teasing note in her voice as she added that last bit.

"No, that makes me _really_ hard up for cash," He corrected. "And I didn't break any of my rules. I bent them. There's a difference. Now may I continue?"

She gave him a "you may" gesture with something akin to sarcasm.

He gave her an unimpressed look before holding up four fingers. "Number four; no killing, excluding instances of self-defense. No exceptions."

The first three rules seemed like common sense and general good self-advice to live by, but Elsa wasn't sure how to feel about the fourth one. Yes, it told her that assassinations weren't also listed on Logan's dubious resume, but the very idea just opened up a whole new line of questioning that she really rather not ask because of how potentially dark their conversation could get. So she let him continue without comment.

"And number five; everyone pulls their own weight. I'll do what I'm being paid to do, but I'm not going to carry anyone who I don't have to," He explained, before mumbling under his breath. "Although, I'm kind of worried I might have to bend this rule too."

In hindsight, she probably should've ignored that last comment, seeing that it wasn't any ruder than his other comments, but it felt too deliberate for her to let it slide, like he had meant for her to hear it despite mumbling it to himself in a loud market. It was like the straw that broke the camel's back. She felt herself bristle with indignation.

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

At the sudden dip in her tone, Logan took one look at the woman's sour expression and let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, don't get upset. It's nothing personal. I just-"

The queen rounded on him. "I don't need you to carry me," She practically hissed at him.

For the first time since meeting him, Elsa saw a look of genuine surprise cross his face. His hazel eyes widened slightly at her cutting tone, showing off the many hues of green and pale brown in those mocking irises. Underneath her anger, she felt a spark of satisfaction for putting that shocked expression on his smug face, but it was immediately snuffed out when the shock was replaced with a bitter scowl of his own.

"I'll believe that when I see it," He sneered at her. "Don't start being an uppity bitch again just because you didn't like the answer to your question. I'm just telling you how it is with me, _princess_."

Panic surged through her for a moment. The chill of her powers prickled along her skin and underneath her clothing like needles from the sudden spike of emotion, but she realized almost immediately afterwards that he meant it in a derogatory fashion, not a literal one. He didn't suspect her. The panic faded and her anger returned, burning twice as bright.

"Well forgive me if I'm just as dissatisfied with this arrangement as you are," She replied hotly, feeling the urge to poke him in the chest. "I don't have a choice, though. I didn't choose to roll around in the mud with the pigs, unlike you, _thug_."

Elsa turned on her heel then, intent on walking off before their heated discussion could escalate into a fight, but the movement was curtailed when Logan suddenly reached out and grabbed her. He snatched her gloved wrist and brought it down on the counter of the stand, firmly holding it there in a vice-like grip. The act pulled a gasp from Elsa's lips, catching the attention of the stand's peddler - a dark-skinned man wearing foreign clothing. He looked up from the stack of blankets he was folding and gave the two a wary look, unsure if he should intervene, but one mean glare from Logan had the man turning away and tending to another customer. Nobody else paid them any mind.

Logan looked back at the blonde. His eyes narrowed at her. "Don't turn your little nose up at me. Looking at me as if I'm just dirt underneath your boots. You're not exactly a saintly angel yourself in my eyes either, Sugar. Let's not forget you never answered my question. You still haven't told me why Dag is after you. Maybe you're telling the truth when you say you don't know why, but you've already lied to me once before. Like I said, I bent my rules for you. I sure as hell didn't have to, but I did. _Don't_ make me regret it."

Elsa looked down at her hand, pinned underneath Logan's. The black color of his half finger gloves contrasted strikingly against the soft blue of hers and the queen could feel her ice pushing against the fabric. If he had held on much longer, he would definitely feel the icy grip of her powers through both of their gloves. She tried to yank her hand away, but it only made him tighten his grip. Not nearly enough to hurt her, but enough to keep her in place.

"Let go of me," She demanded, her blue eyes practically dripping with hate. "Right _now_."

She knew she should start chanting her old mantra in her head (" _Conceal. Don't feel. Don't let him know how close you are to freezing his head!_ "), to calm herself and stop her powers from breaking loose, but she wasn't so sure she wanted to.

The fingers of her other hand twitched, a motion that Logan caught. His gaze flickered between hers and her other hand. A slow smirk spread across his face and mirth bloomed in his eyes. His gaze bore intensely into hers from behind dark strands of hair and his body language suggested openness in a silent challenge, just _daring_ her to try something. He probably took her twitching fingers as her wanting to punch him in the face, but really, Elsa wanted nothing more than to impale him on a very sharp piece of ice.

She couldn't, though. As disappointing as it was, she knew she couldn't. Even if she just punched him in the face like he expected her to, it would ruin everything and she couldn't allow that to happen. Elsa wasn't so hotheaded, so impulsive, that she would risk her one chance at getting home for a few moments of ill-fated satisfaction. As a leader, she knew when she needed to be the bigger person and back down.

She took a deep breath, ignoring Logan's sudden curious look as she closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down. Her eyes didn't open again until the flare of ice just below the surface of her pale skin melted away and she was able to look at him again without losing control.

"Let go of me," She repeated in a more collected tone of voice, her blue eyes cool and calm.

He listened. His own eyes still shined with interest as Elsa yanked her hand away as soon as his grip was loose enough. Without a word, the queen turned on her heel again and walked away. Logan didn't stop her.

"Stick close!" He called out in warning.

She ignored him, resisting the powerful urge to turn around and flash him a very rude hand gesture as she blindly turned down an empty alleyway.

When she was out of sight, Logan cursed underneath his breath and banged his fist against the counter of the stand. He brought up his other hand to rub at his eyes.

That definitely could've gone better.

"Was that an ass move?" He asked the peddler, who had been, not-so, discreetly watching him and Elsa from the corner of his eye. The peddler shrugged one of his shoulders and gave the younger man a "kinda" nod of the head. Logan looked back towards the alley the blonde had disappeared down and cursed again. "Damn. Why do women have to be so sensitive?"

With guilt once again pulling on his insides, he considered going after the woman, but decided to just let her be for now. She wouldn't go that far and he still needed to pick up some more supplies before they got back on the trail. The exchange of awkward apologies could wait.

In the alley, Elsa paced furiously back and forth as she mumbled to herself. Her hands were balled into tight fists at her sides and her maroon skirt kicked out repeatedly with the quick, stomping movements of her legs. Anger began to bubble inside her again and she let it happen, knowing that she now had a little privacy to rage.

Honestly, who did he think he was? Elsa may not have her status as queen, but she was still a _person_ , for God's sake! Was that how he really saw her? Thought of her? That she was so weak that he would have to "carry" her back to Arendelle? She was _not_ weak. She was a queen, dammit! One that could shoot ice from her fingertips, build castles into the sides of mountains, freeze entire kingdoms and even create talking snowmen with poor comprehension of personal space! She wasn't weak! She'd freeze that smirk right off his face!

The queen let out a frustrated growl and slipped her fingers into her platinum blonde hair, tugging on the roots. Her back hit the wall of the alley a little harder than necessary and she slowly slide down to the ground as her temper tantrum started to recede. Her gaze trailed upwards, towards the overcast sky, noting humorlessly that it matched her mood perfectly. When her bottom met solid stone, Elsa pulled her fingers from her hair and drew her legs up towards her chest. She let out a heavy sigh as she wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her forehead on her knees.

Feeling a bit defeated, she sat like that for a while, conjuring up images inside her mind of her sister's smiling, freckled face until she felt stable enough to leave the alley.

With a sigh, Elsa climbed to her feet and brushed off the back of her skirt.

' _Do it for Anna. Do it for Anna,_ ' She chanted in her head.

She stepped back out of the alley and looked around the market for Logan. With the sky starting to darken overhead, it looked as if the market was coming to a close. Most peddlers were serving their last customers and moving to pack up their things for the day. Elsa frowned when she realized her guide was nowhere in sight. She checked the crowd twice, thinking that maybe she had skimmed over him. Or maybe, he had finished with his shopping and went to load the supplies and bring the horses around?

Pursing her lips in thought, Elsa moved to the last market stand they were at before she stormed off to ask if the peddler remembered which way her intimidating companion went. She approached the stand where the dark-skinned peddler was packing up his merchandise.

"Excuse me," She spoke up in a polite tone. "I was wondering if you-"

"Sorry, one moment please," The peddler apologized, picking up a box and carrying it back behind the tented area of his stand.

Elsa let out a puff of air as her gloved fingers tapping idly against the counter as she waited. She stood there for a few minutes until letting out another sigh, realizing that the peddler probably wouldn't be back for a while. She stepped away from the stand, but before she could try her luck elsewhere, someone bumped into her as they rushed past. The collusion wasn't enough to knock her down, but it made her stumble gracelessly into the person standing on the other side of her.

She mumbled a soft apology as a gruff voice sounded out.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

The queen looked up at the rude market patron and froze.

It was one of the bandits. Standing right in front of her.

He wasn't one she recognized during her stint in captivity, but he wore the same black and red ensemble that she had come to associate the bandit group with. Obsidian black tunics and trousers, with blood red leather belts, gloves, and scarves wrapped around their necks in a style that made it easy for them to pull up their hoods and cover their mouths, ready to raid a village at a moment's notice. There was also a distinctive insignia embroidered into the fabric, a grisly-looking black spider that made Elsa's skin crawl every time she saw it.

The bandit had a dumb look on his face as he stared at Elsa. That classic "don't-I-know-you-from-somewhere" look. They stood there staring at each other for few seconds before the pin finally dropped and the bandit's eyes widened in recognition.

"What the- hey!" the bandit shouted, reaching out for her. "Come here!"

Realizing that there wouldn't be enough time to call out or run away before he grabbed her, the queen snatched the closest thing she could from the peddler's stand and swung it blindly at the bandit. Fortunately, what she had grabbed was a cast-iron frying pan and it made a loud, satisfying clang when it impacted with the bandit's head. She got him right in the temple, sending him crashing against the ground like a sack of bricks.

Not waiting to see if he would get up, Elsa dropped the pan and ran, turning down the same alley as before. Her breath came out in quick pants as she ran towards the other end. It opened up into another street of the market, one a little busier than the first. She looked up and down the street, seeking out her dark-haired escort as she ran out of the alleyway. For a moment, she thought about calling out to Logan, hoping that if he was nearby they could make their escape before more bandits showed up, but she choked on his name when she spotted two more bandits, a few yards down from where she stood out in the open. She recognized them immediately. It was beanpole and chubs; the tall and fat bandits that came looking for her at Tobias' house, the ones he had pointed a loaded shotgun at.

Her mind screamed at her to run, to go in the other direction or take her chances with the bandit she had hit with a frying pan, but her legs remained cemented to the ground as she stared wide-eyed at them. They had their backs towards her, but a loud commotion between a disgruntled peddler and patron drew a lot of eyes in her direction. Time seemed to slow down as Elsa watched the tall bandit turn her way. She waited for him to spot her, unable to move. Her heart pounded like a drum in her ears.

The scent of leather suddenly invaded her nose and Elsa let out a surprised yelp when a hand closed over her mouth and her body was dragged back into the shadowed alley. The queen immediately began to struggle when an arm circled around her waist and pulled her against a warm body.

"Shhh!" Logan shushed in her ear, stalling her movements.

She felt a shiver run through the broad chest pressed against her back, but Logan didn't seem to notice the sudden drop in temperature, or that the chill seemed to be emanating from her. He was too busy peeking out into the market, making sure the bandits hadn't seem them.

When he was sure they were safe, Logan released her and she quickly stepped away, moving as far from him as the alley walls would allow.

"The bandits!" She exclaimed. "They're here! In the market!"

He gave her a dull look as he reached down and pulled his hunting knife from the holster strapped to his pant leg. Elsa's eyes widened at the action, both disturbed and mesmerized by the way the light gleamed off the smooth, reflective surface of the blade, even in the shade of the alley.

"Yeah, I noticed. A small party of them must've rolled into town not long after us. I saw them when I was loading the horses."

"Do you think they're here for me?" She asked, trying to keep the tremor from her voice.

"Not sure. They might just be randomly checking the market, just in case there's an off-chance they pick up your trail, but I doubt they were expecting to find anything. Lucky us, eh? It looks like Dag's still got it out for you, Sugar."

"What do we do?"

Logan glanced up and down the alley as he picked his brain for an exit strategy. The market was closing, but it was still packed enough for them to hide in the crowd and make their way out if they moved fast and kept their heads low. He counted six bandits when he went back for Elsa; two near the entrance of town where he had left their horses, one inside the town inn, the two they just dodged in the market, and of course, the one blondie dispatched with a heavy piece of cookware. He had passed by the bandit laying face down in the dirt with an amused smirk, pitying the idiot for letting the much smaller woman get the drop on him. He was unconscious, but wouldn't be for long. They needed to move fast.

He reached out and grabbed Elsa's wrist. "This way. Stay close and keep your head down."

They moved through the market, weaving between the patrons while using them for cover. Logan kept a close eye on their surroundings as he navigated through a network of alleys, cursing every time they hit a dead end. It took a while, but eventually they were able to find their way towards the edge of town where their horses were waiting for them. However, just as they reached the end of their brick alley maze, the path ahead was blocked by three bandits; the two Logan had spotted earlier and the one Elsa had knocked out. They created a blockade with their bodies, forcing Logan and Elsa to skid to a stop.

"There they are!" One bandit shouted.

"Give us the girl!" Another demanded.

Out of instinct, Logan moved himself so he was standing directly between Elsa and the bandits. He stared down the men in the red hoods as he quickly assessed the situation. He could sense the fear and panic leaking from the woman behind him. He reached back a steady hand, motioning for her to stay behind him while refusing to take his eyes off his opponents. He holstered his knife as he came to a plan of action, realizing he wouldn't need the weapon. They weren't nearly as dangerous as they tried to look.

Seeing the bandits block their escape, Elsa began to feel trapped. She shifted her weight to the balls of her feet, preparing herself to turn and run in another direction, but a command from Logan telling her to "stay put", made her stop as he suddenly rushed forward. She watched with wide eyes when he ran straight up to the closest bandit, ducking effortlessly when the bandit cocked back his fist and threw a punch at his face. The hit missed its mark and Logan took advantage of the opening, delivering a brutal punch of his own to the bandit's gut. The man doubled over, choking on his own breath and falling completely when Logan grabbed the sides of his head and brought the bandit's face down on his knee as hard as he could.

Another bandit, bigger in size and more built, came up behind him and wrapped his thick, muscled arms around the smaller man in a crushing bear hug, squeezing him tight. Logan reacted, slamming the heel of his boot into the bandit's toes and holding it there as the bandit cried out in pain. He dropped down to his knees and pushed up the arms holding him captive, slipping his head out and breaking the grip. He then stood up again and turned, shoving back the bandit in one fluid still had the bandit's foot trapped underneath his and the larger man easily lost his balance. He fell backwards and wasn't given the chance to recover before Logan kicked him in the face, causing the bones in his face to break with a loud crunch that Elsa heard all the way from where she was standing. The back of the bandit's head connected with the ground, knocking him unconscious just like his friend.

Remembering that there was still one more bandit, Logan already knew the third had hung back, watching him beat the crap out of his buddies so he could wait for an opening. A blunt pain run down his spine as the bandit came up behind him and brought his elbow down in between Logan's shoulder blades. He let a pained grunt as the blow stunned him and he fell, landing flat on his stomach.

"Look out!" He heard Elsa cry out.

He quickly rolled on to his back, knowing the bandit was going to try and jump on top of him. The bandit missed by mere inches, hitting the ground instead of Logan. The dark-haired male retaliated by tackling him. They rolled around on the ground together, exchanging blows and trying to gain the upper hand until the bandit managed to land a cheap punch to Logan's face, causing his vision to blur for a moment and allowing the bandit to roll him over so he was above him. Logan glared up at him in defiance, still giving attitude as he prepared himself for the assault he knew was coming, but just as the bandit was about to sit up and begin wailing on him, a shadow fell over the two of them. He caught a flash of maroon just as a black boot suddenly connected with the bandit's ribs, kicking him off of Logan. He hit the ground with a thud and clutched his side.

Logan looked up to see Elsa standing there, blinking owlishly at him and looking just as surprised as he was. They exchanged glances before he collected his bearings and quickly climbed to his feet.

The bandit was still on his hands and knees, holding his side and groaning when Logan approached him. He grabbed the back of the man's head in an unforgiving hold, twisting his fingers into the man's hair and slamming his head against the nearest alley wall, knocking him unconscious like the other two and letting his body fall to the ground.

Silence fell as Logan leaned over and rested his hands on his knees, fighting to get his breath back. He could feel a wetness on his upper lip, dripping from his nose. That general area of his face hurt a lot from the sucker punch he got from the last bandit, but it didn't feel like anything was broken, so he was grateful for that.

Once he was able to, Logan stood up straight again and brought up a hand to wipe at his face. He glanced briefly down at the blood now staining his glove with a blank expression before wiping it on the back of his pants. He then reached up and ran his hand through his dark hair, pulling back the strands that hung in his face as he finally looked at Elsa.

They stood there looking at each other with three unconscious bandits laying on the ground between them.

"You sure you don't need me to carry you?" He asked, still slightly out of breath.

Throughout the entire fight, a look of awe had been plastered on the queen's face as she watched her guide take on three men by himself. He moved with unbelievable grace and agility, disposing of each bandit one by one, not at all thrown off when one managed to get a hit in. He took them in stride and threw back hits twice as hard. She had never seen anyone fight like that before. Logan was just as sharp and punctual when fighting as he was when speaking, smooth and calculating. It was impressive.

Elsa snapped her jaw closed with an audible click and looked up at him.

"Yes," She nodded determinedly.

She expected him to scoff at her, patronize her like he had done so many times before, conveniently ignoring the fact that she had help him so he could tear her down even more, but once again he managed to surprise her by giving her a look of equal determination. He smirked and reached out one of his hands towards her.

"I'll hold you to that then."

Elsa stared at the hand blankly for a few seconds before giving Logan a suspicious glare.

Seeming to anticipate her cold response, the dark-haired man exhaled heavily through his nose before changing his smirk into a smile. His expression softened and he gestured for her to take his hand again as his hazel eyes turned lighter and they filled with something more welcoming, more coaxing and almost...apologetic?

Despite still being cautious of him, but seeing no other option, the queen finally placed her gloved hand in his, letting his fingers curl around hers in a firm hold. He supported her weight as she hiked up the end of her skirts and stepped over the fallen bandits on the ground.

"Let's get out of here before more of these _pigs_ show up," He said as he led them out of the alley.

She allowed him to pull her along as they made their way back to their horses without further incident.

Miles away, riding full speed on horseback, Elsa still couldn't believe they had made it out of the market in one piece. Everything had happened so fast, her brain struggled to process all of it. The wind whipped wildly through her blonde hair, flowing freely through the fair locks as her and her guide traveled further away from town, leaving that bandit-infested market behind. When she was finally able to get a handle on her thoughts, a familiar sensation washed over the queen. Fear and panic melted away as elation took their place. It was an adrenaline rush, brought on by the thrill of danger and the relief of escape. She felt strangely weightless as a burst of freedom rushed through her veins, a wonderful feeling that she hadn't felt since she had first let go of her ice powers.

Smiling like a fool and not caring if it made Logan look at her funny, Elsa tightened her grip on the reigns of her horse with a new found sense of determination as they barreled down the path ahead of them.

She could still do this, she realized.

This shouldn't be something impossible. She was Elsa of Arendelle, daughter of king Agnarr, and the queen of ice and snow. If Anna could throw away all inhibitions and past grudges, mount a horse and spearhead into unknown territory and danger to save her sister, then Elsa could too. If she could put on another pair gloves and hide her powers, even after vowing to never do so again, then she could finish what she started with Logan.

No matter what, Elsa was going home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Wow, that was a monster to write, especially the fight scene. I'm warning you guys now, fight scenes are not my forte. I always get so turned around when I write those, even worse when the fighters are the same gender because then I trip over the repetitiveness of the pronouns and I have to read over it a million times to make sure it actually makes sense. Blegh.
> 
> Again, just as a reminder, if you like this story, I recommend you follow it on FanFiction instead of here. I operate mainly on there and tend to update more regularly. I'm under the same pen name: Scorpiofreak


	7. Story Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen or its characters.

In light of more recent encounters with the bandit gang, it could finally be said by both Elsa and Logan that this wasn't the worst situation any one person could be in. Although, perhaps admitted a bit begrudgingly.

Over the next two days, things were different between the two travelers. The air between them wasn't quite as intense as before and the silences didn't last nearly as long. Conversation came a little easier after the marketplace brawl, both of them coming to an unspoken understanding since then. Unfair judgment and half-cocked assumptions had been in abundance since their very first meeting and it wasn't lost on either of them that they were both at fault for their rocky start.

Making the effort to get along better certainly wasn't something they _had_ to do. They could've picked up where they left off before stopping for supplies; ignoring and snapping at each other at every given opportunity. But they both agreed that was far too boring to keep up for much long.

Through the course of their journey so far, Logan allowed himself enough freedom to let his guard down in regards to Elsa, despite the annoying fact that he was constantly "bending" his rules for her (God knows why). Other than being an excellent conductor for rotten luck, he didn't perceive the woman as much of a threat. Perhaps a bit of a spazz at times - what with her awkward, too formal conversational skills, her ramrod posture that made her look like she was born with a steel bar stuck up her backside, her weird thing with the gloves, and that funny, lemon-pinched face she always pulled when Logan said something particularly aberrant (she claimed it pretentious, he preferred witty), but certainly nothing hazardous to his health.

On Elsa's end, Logan had, annoyingly enough, been able to weasel his way up into the category of "decent human being" in her mind. A level right below "potential friend", and just above "scum of the earth" (or in laymen's terms, the Arendelle council board). He certainly proved himself back at the market, but the queen still found him a little too cocky. Another possibly misplaced assumption, but she wasn't used to being around someone so barefaced and confident. More specifically, someone barefaced and confident who wasn't also a rich, self-absorbed duke or count, looking to brown-nose his way into the queen's good graces in hopes of gaining more power and privilege. He was someone who was entirely comfortable in his own skin, and because of that, had the means of making the queen just a little bit jealous. He was unpredictable to her, nearly to the point where it was infuriating.

After the market, Elsa had gotten sick. It was sudden and she didn't know why it had happened since she didn't really feel nauseous at the time. Logan said it was probably the adrenaline, kicking in without warning at the market and then going through a more bodily reaction when it finally stopped. Whatever caused it, it was embarrassing and she felt her cheeks burn red with humiliation when she clambered off her horse and stumbled towards some nearby bushes like a clumsy drunkard. It was even worse when her guide stepped down from his own horse and came around to hold back her messy braid while she heaved. Logan dismissed it, claiming it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before and reminding her that vomiting wasn't exactly a voluntary thing.

Between that comment and the hair holding, Logan landed himself on a higher level of regard in her mind. It was one of the weirdest gestures of good will that she had ever received from anybody other than Anna and Olaf, but it was appreciated all the same. His tone was surprisingly gentle as he told her to get it out of her system while his face remained void of any judgmental notions. It was both comforting and disquieting in the sense that Elsa had no idea Logan was capable of being tender, and it had thrown her for yet another loop. Unless, the capability had always been there and she just hadn't noticed before.

After her brief bout of sickness, they immediately got back on the trail, soon falling back into the routine of rising at dawn, riding horseback all day, and setting up camp at dusk, but the hours didn't go by nearly as slowly now that they were on speaking terms.

When talking about the weather and the trees and that weird, wrinkly old guy wearing a purple sunhat they passed a few miles back, finally ran its course, Logan and Elsa were forced to talk about themselves. Understandably, that was something they both wanted to avoid, but for the lack of any better ideas, they decided to try it.

Logan offered up some information about himself first as a show of good faith, being both open and vague about his answers. He traveled a lot because of his job, but he originally hailed from a small town (where, exactly, he didn't say). He was an only child, raised mostly by his mother; an emotionally distant woman, seemingly trapped in a permanent state of heartbreak after being abandoned by his father not long before Logan was born. He admitted that he was a bit of a troublemaker when he was a boy. In his defense, he told Elsa that breaking the rules and pushing people's buttons were the only remotely interesting things to do in his one-horse hometown. His mother wasn't the most attentive parent that ever was, so it allowed him the freedom to get away with a lot of things.

When asked where his mother was now, he said he assumed she was still living in the town he was born in, with his step-father; also an emotionally stunted individual. He was never fond of Logan and the feeling was very much mutual. They fought constantly when he was growing up, never really forming a connection that would allow them to see each other as family. He wasn't close to either parent, which enabled him to skip town the first chance he got with little inhibitions about leaving his childhood home behind.

Elsa had a suspicion that it wasn't nearly as cut-and-dry as he made it all seem, but she felt it rude to pry further. The fact that he felt compelled enough to leave behind his mother - the person who gave him life and raised him. The person who everybody was meant to love unconditionally since birth - and pursue a life of questionable attributes - painted a sad, telling picture all on its own.

As a whole, it was a difficult thing to comprehend, even for someone like Elsa. Though there were many, many intense feelings of doubt and fear and lingering resentments surrounding her relationship with her parents, underneath it all, there was always love. Despite everything, Elsa loved her parents and they loved her.

Yes, on her worst days, the queen felt bitter towards her mother and father for a lot of things in her life. For not realizing that simple love and acceptance was the key to finally controlling her powers. For allowing their own fear to feed Elsa's and make her afraid to leave her room. For causing the decade-long fissure between her and Anna that still needed healing, even to this day. But she had long-since come to terms with the past and realized that her isolation was just as much her fault as it was theirs.

Her parents did not fear Elsa. They did not shy away from her, ever. Even on those bad days where Elsa couldn't control her emotions and the walls of her room became too much to bare and she covered every inch of them with ice. The king and queen never feared their eldest daughter, but they feared what she was able to do, what she was capable of. They feared another accident like the one in the ballroom, one that would essentially rob them of both of their daughters. They loved her _so_ much, they were willing to lock her away from the world. To protect her from both the people outside the castle walls, and from herself.

Knowing what she knew now, of course her isolation seemed entirely unnecessary. All they needed was Anna, the very thing Elsa was kept from, and she couldn't help feeling resentful towards herself and her parents. But Elsa's relationship with all members of her family was, above all else, complicated. She still deeply missed her parents, though, and she still laid in bed at night, staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom (or in this case, a sky full of stars), wishing to be held in their arms, if only for one last goodbye.

So, in regards to what Logan had told her, it was difficult to understand someone who, more or less, still had a set of parents, alive and (she'll assume) well, and not be close to them at all. But again, it was all a little too personal to dredge out any further. If he wanted her to know, he would've told her. He wasn't opposed to answering personal questions if she asked him, but it was clear that there were some things he'd rather keep private. Home life was one of them and his life after leaving his village was another. A big one, apparently.

He was nothing but flippant when talking about his childhood, but he was incredibly vague when Elsa asked about his life afterwards. He was strangely reserved, though understandably so. As an adult, one could get in far worse trouble than as a child. Trouble with more serious consequences that bred things like remorse, guilt, and regret. Things that most would rather keep buried where no one could see. Able to relate to this, Elsa respectfully let the matter drop.

When the conversation shifted focus on her, she told him about Arendelle.

She told him everything she could think of about her kingdom. To the territory lines stretching as far as the North mountain, to the ship docks and the quaint little shops where her and Anna used to go shopping. To the castle courtyard on one side of the kingdom and Oaken's Trading Post on the other, and every festival and special event in between. She spared almost no detail when it came to her kingdom, knowing she didn't have to be as careful when she was visually describing her home. However, much like Logan, she grew vague when it came to the people and happenings within the castle walls, only elaborating when there wasn't a risk of her accidentally giving herself away, or possible holes Logan could pick up on in her cover story.

She spun a tale of what it was like to live as a chambermaid for a princess. She drew inspiration from the many servants of her castle, namely Gerda, the real chambermaid to the royal sisters. Feeling particularly brave, she even shared some of her and Anna's adventures and exploits, though there weren't that many to share. Not as many as she would've liked.

With even more confidence, she told him about Kristoff and Sven (while purposely leaving out Olaf, because talking snowmen were always difficult to explain). They were much safer topics and definitely more entertaining than a pair of sisters trying to rebuild their relationship through awkward gestures and overzealous attempts at bonding that never seemed to go as planned, i.e. Anna's "perfect day" birthday celebration (stupid immune system).

Granted, she might've gotten a little carried away, riding on the nostalgia and fondness she felt when talking about her loved ones and the few happy times they spent together, but Logan didn't say anything about it. He listened and allowed her to indulge in her memories, probably knowing that it was something she desperately needed right now, even if she couldn't admit it. If she had accidentally let something slip at any point during her stories, he didn't call her out on it.

When she finally ran out of things to say about herself and her home, the two talked about anything and everything half-interesting that crossed their minds. The conversations would go smoothly for a while, sometimes even taking on a playful nature depending on the topic, but eventually one of them would say something to annoy or insult the other and another argument would ensue, followed by a cold shoulder for the faulting party, but it had become a pattern between them. In a bleak situation that neither of them had much of a choice in participating in, it was a comfort to know what to expect, despite the sour endings. As Elsa knew very well, it was better to have just a little control over something than no control at all.

She wouldn't go as far as to say this new change in routine was nice, but their exchanges were okay, at the very least.

However, the relative peace wouldn't last much longer. It was on the night of the second day that they had another run-in with the bandits.

They both knew beforehand, that even though they escaped the marketplace, the sighting of the queen gave the bandits a new trail to follow. It went unsaid that it would only be a matter of time before they crossed paths again. Logan did his best to put as much distance between them and the bandits as he could, laying a few diversions to throw them off the trail and give him and Elsa more miles between them, but he knew there wasn't much chance their makeshift booby-traps would succeed, and if one did, it would only give them a few hours advantage, at best.

They had been setting up camp that night. Logan had stricken up another topic of conversation for them, one a little more personal than the others, while they idled around their temporary campsite.

"So what's your situation?" He asked. "You gotta fella back home waiting for you? Is that why you're so desperate to get back?"

Elsa scoffed.

How typical. A woman couldn't do anything crazy and ill-advised in order to save a life without that life belonging to a man she was in love with, could they? Everything had to have a romantic undertone, didn't it? Elsa didn't want to believe the whole world was as woefully optimistic as her little sister, but it wasn't exactly going out of its way to prove otherwise. She felt a little disappointed by the question. The queen was just starting to enjoy her conversations with the man, rather than just tolerating them. It would be just like him to go and ruin it, wouldn't it?

"I already told you, I have to get back to warn the princess about the bandits. Eventually their leader is going to realize I'm not her - assuming he hasn't already - and when he does, he's going to go after her instead and I can't let that happen. We've already been blindsided by those bandits once before. I'm not going to just sit by and wait for them to take Anna when there's still a chance I can stop it."

The good thing about spending the first half of their journey in silence, was that it gave Elsa the time to work on her cover story. She was able to think up a few more details to make it sound more convincing, just in case it was ever brought up again. With almost no effort, the queen found herself falling into the role of Elsa Snow. It was almost jarring how fast her story began to build around itself and how more complex it became when given time to grow in her mind. After so many days, she was convinced it was now solid enough to withstand any scrutiny from her overly perceptive guide.

"How noble of you," Logan remarked dryly, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "You must really care about her if you're willing to put up with a guy like _me_ to save her."

"Now you're starting to understand my pain, _finally_ ," She breathed sardonically, drawing a snicker from Logan.

Smart and sassy. He liked this side of Blondie. Much better than reserved and brooding. He could understand wanting to keep things professional, but she almost took standoffish to a whole new level.

"I told you. We've lived in the castle together our whole lives. We're practically sisters."

"Really? The whole "princess-servant" thing never got in the way of your relationship?"

No more than letting a simple locked door and a childhood accident come between a pair of _actual_ sisters, Elsa thought bitterly to herself. She shook her head, letting another short silence fall between them until Logan spoke up again.

"Why do _you_ have to take all this on? Doesn't your kingdom have some sort of royal guard, or police force whose job it is to protect the princess? Where were they when the bandits were attacking?"

"I've been wondering that myself," She grumbled, more to herself than Logan. "Obviously, whoever's in charge is going to have to make a few little changes in the future. They never stood a chance against those bandits."

Logan snickered again at her peeved expression.

"So, is that a "no" on the fella thing?"

"No, there's no fella," She rolled her eyes before giving him a wary look. "Why do you want to know so badly?"

"Asking a question once doesn't give you the leeway to consider someone wanting to know something _badly_ ," He argued. "But to answer _your_ question - not for the reason you're thinking, Sugar. Remember what I said about flattering yourself?

"Yes. No need to remind me."

"I just want to make sure I don't have an angry lover trying to kick my head off my shoulders as soon as we show up in your little kingdom together. That sort of thing _always_ happens to me whenever I take a job from a woman," He said before adding: "No offense."

"Really? Every time?"

"Yeah. There's always a stupid misunderstanding. The boyfriend sees me hanging around his girl, thinks we're fooling around, gets angry, and next thing I know, I'm getting punched in the face just for doing my job."

"Well, you did say your job requires a certain level of risk," Elsa remarked, her face twisting up slightly in the effort not to laugh at the amusing image that popped into her head.

"That's not risk. That's drama, and I'll have none of it," He said with a grunt as he pulled a particularly heavy pack off his horse and tossed it on the ground. "I'd rather face off with a large, inbred mountain man, wielding an axe and a short temper, than get in between a pair of "love birds" when they're having a domestic. Even I have my limits."

"Really? You seem like the kind of person who would be a magnet for drama," She said, before adding; "No offense."

"Well, you're not wrong, so none taken."

When Logan finished unpacking the supplies they needed for the night, he and Elsa set about collecting sticks and leaves to build a fire with. Once they had enough material to burn, Elsa took a seat on a nearby log and watched as Logan stacked the sticks accordingly before reaching over to a nearby bag and pulling out a box of matches. He easily lit the dried foliage with one match, something that the queen had taken notice of early in their journey. She knew next to nothing about camping and forest survival skills, but the act of using just one match reminded her of something Kristoff once said.

It had been one of his stories. The one where it was the dead of winter and he and Sven got separated from the rest of the ice harvesters, finding themselves lost in the middle of a bad blizzard. The weather was so bad, they couldn't navigate and had to take shelter in a cave near the North mountain. He talked about how cold and scared he had been, having only been about thirteen at the time. He managed to collect enough material to build a fire, but he almost ran through an entire box of matches before the young teen was finally able to start it. He said that lighting a fire with one match was really hard to do and a skill that he had yet to be taught. And although the storm dissipated enough by dawn the next morning for him and his reindeer to venture out and find their way back to Arendelle, Kristoff described it as one of the roughest nights of his life.

The story earned him a sympathetic "aww" and a peck on the cheek from Anna that, no doubt, made everything alright in Kristoff's mind, but that story (and the many others that involved her sister's boyfriend battling the element that Elsa had an unexplained control over) stuck with the queen for quite awhile afterwards. Watching Logan build a fire with just the one match had her mind drifting back to the image she had of teenage Kristoff, huddling in a dark cave somewhere near the lonely mountains with Sven, desperately trying to set the pitiful stack of twigs on the ground in front of him ablaze with fingers that refused to co-operate because they were stiff from cold.

Long streams of smoke started to drift up from the now burning sticks as Logan coaxed the growing flame into spreading to the rest of the makeshift firepit. When their campfire was big enough, he finally pulled his hands back and climbed to his feet, looking down at it with a satisfied smirk.

"Alright, be honest with me," He said while plopping down next to Elsa on the log and startling her out of her thoughts. "What's with the gloves?"

Her hands immediately moved closer together on her lap at the mentioning, twisting her fingers around themselves out of nervous habit. It wasn't the most intrusive question he could've asked, but she still felt herself become defensive, unable to help herself. She looked away from him and stared down at her lap. The light blue gloves on her hands seemed to tighten against her skin, trapping the digits inside a familiar prison of cotton and thread.

"It's nothing. I just..."

"You got a thing about dirt? Because I once knew this guy-"

"No," She sighed, cutting him off. "It's not that. It's more of a comfort thing. I used to have a pair of gloves just like these ones when I was young and I had this habit of putting them on whenever I was feeling anxious or overwhelmed. It was something my father thought up to help me cope and control my emotions better. I broke the habit for a couple of years, but with everything that has happened recently, I figured I could use every bit of comfort I could get. Anna would be horrified if she saw me wearing these."

She did her best to describe her history with gloves without mentioning the actual reason of concealing her mystical ice powers. Even after almost a week of traveling with him, Elsa still couldn't decide what would be a bigger shock for Logan; finding out about her powers, or finding out she was really a queen. Neither sounded very pleasant.

"Why do you wear your gloves?" She asked him, casually trying to divert the focus off of her.

He looked down at his fingerless work gloves, frayed from the wear and tear of his rough lifestyle. "For a much more practical reason, believe me. A few years back, when I was first starting out on my own, I got this really bad cut on my palm. I cut it climbing through a broken window and didn't tell anyone, thinking it wasn't that big of a deal. I was still learning how to fight at the time, still considered a "puppy" to the guy that was training me and I didn't want it to seem like I was whining over something stupid like a little kid. Turns out, my male pride screwed me over. The cut got infected and I got sick."

He held his left hand out to her and pulled back his glove for her to see.

"It wasn't anything life-threatening, but I can guarantee you, it wasn't any fun."

Elsa leaned in closer to get a better look. It wasn't that big of a scar, only about an inch and a half long, but she could spot the thin line of knitted skin along the junction of his thumb easily because of how much paler the scar was against the rest of his palm.

"Doesn't seem like much," She remarked.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," He said with a light chuckle, pulling his glove back into place. "But I should've known better. I've always had to be careful when it comes to cuts and open wounds. It's never a good thing when I get them."

"Isn't it never a good thing for everybody?" She glanced up at him with a small smirk, thinking he was just trying to be facetious.

To her surprise, he didn't return the smirk. He just shrugged his shoulders and diverted his gaze from hers.

"Yeah, usually, but me especially, Sugar. My cuts are _always_ bleeders. I've got the royal disease."

Elsa blinked at him. Royal disease? What was he talking about?

"What do you mean?"

"It's nothing," He dismissed as he leaned behind the log to pick up a nearby stick to use as a fire poker. "Just something an old friend of mine called it. I don't know what its real name is."

Confused by Logan's sudden change in demeanor, she was half inclined to ask what "it" was, but his stiff body language convinced her not to. Instead, she backtracked a bit in their conversation.

"Do you have any other scars?"

If it was even possible, Logan tensed even more at the question. He paused for a second from stoking the flames before continuing. "Yeah. A couple others."

It was a short answer that didn't leave any room for asking for any further elaboration and effectively ended the conversation. She pretended not to notice the way his arm moved subconsciously into his chest when he set down the stick next to his feet and moved to rest his forearms on his knees, letting his hands hang down between them.

Elsa had only one scar. It was just below her kneecap, nearly invisible because of the pallor of her skin. She had gotten it from a very sharp piece of ice when she was nineteen. It was the day the kingdom of Arendelle had received the news of their beloved rulers' shipwreck. Leaving Gerda to comfort a wailing Anna, Kai had personally made the long trek up to Elsa's room and regretfully told the eldest princess through her door that her parents were presumed dead. It had come so suddenly, so unexpectedly, that it was almost too surreal to face.

At the news, Elsa paced back and forth across her bedroom, her mind frantically trying to figure out how she was going to manage her secret now without her parents acting as a buffer between her and the outside world. The fact that her parents were _dead_ , permanently gone, never to return, hadn't quite permeated her mind yet. It was like selective denial; she accepted that her secret might be compromised, but she couldn't accept what caused it. She was so deep in the act of keeping her powers hidden, it was the very first thing that came to mind when she was told the news of her parent's watery demise. When she should've been crying and asking "Why? Why them? I still need them", she was thinking "what am I going to do about my powers now?". It was _always_ about her powers, even when it wasn't, and it sickened her to think back on it now. It made her feel like she was a spoiled child who thought the world revolved around her and her problems.

She didn't know how much time she spent pacing her bedroom floor; pacing, fidgeting, and panicking, but not grieving. She had become blind to her surroundings, not noticing the way her ice crawled along the surface of her room, coating it in clouded frost until her aching feet snagged on a protruding icicle coming up from the ground. It sent her sprawling on to her rug. Her knee came in contact with another icicle and she yelped when she felt it bite into her skin. She laid on the ground for a few moments, stunned, before rolling on to her back and sitting up.

With a small hiss, she pulled back the skirt of her dress and spotted the small sliver of ice embedded below her knee. A stain of bright, red blood blossomed around the edges of the ice, discoloring her white stockings. The sharp bolts of pain shooting up her leg helped her brain finally process what had happened, that her parents were dead. She had broken down immediately afterwards, crying for the first time in years.

"Logan?" The queen spoke up, her mouth working without thought to keep herself from drifting into dark places.

"Hmm?"

"How much longer do we have to go until we reach Arendelle?"

It had taken her a while, but she finally asked it.

"Another week maybe. If the weather holds up," He replied, moving to pull out his knife with the intentions of sharpening it.

She flinched at the answer.

A week? They had been traveling for five days straight and they still had a week to go? It made Elsa wonder just how long exactly she had been gone from her kingdom. The journey from Arendelle to the bandits' hideout had been nothing more than a confusing blur, but she always assumed it had to be at least a week or so. Now though, she was starting to dread that it had been much longer than that. Was it going on a month now? Two? How long has the bandit leader kept her stolen from her kingdom? Her sister? Her home? How much more time did she have before people started to presume her dead too (if they haven't already)? She knew Anna would never stop looking for her, but the Arendelle royal council wasn't nearly as devoted. Elsa didn't have to be there to know that the second she had gone missing, the council was thinking of ways to wrestle away the new power Anna had over the kingdom.

"Why is he doing this to me?" Elsa asked herself out loud in a near whisper.

What had she ever done to deserve a pack of bandits chasing after her?

One of the most frustrating things she had to deal with during her time in captivity, was the question of _why_. Why did Dag take her? The one time he had spoken to her, he made his raid on her sister's wedding sound deliberate. It was clear she had been the target and the bandit leader knew about her ice powers. At first she thought, maybe, it was some revenge scheme. Plotted by one of the enemies she made during the great freeze, like Prince Hans, or the Duke of Weaselton. It wasn't a possibility that was ever canceled out or disproved, but after a few days of sitting in a dungeon with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company, Elsa thought constantly about other reasons for her kidnapping, never fully coming to a decision of which one seemed more plausible.

In the humid heat and suffocating air of the dungeon, everything seemed plausible. Even the ridiculous theory of the kidnapping being an elaborate set up by Marshmallow, the snow monster that guarded her ice palace, aiming for revenge on Elsa for taking back her tiara when he obviously liked wearing it.

She thought that gem up after three days of very little sleep.

"Dag's one messed up guy," Logan answered, easily guessing who Elsa was talking about. He didn't look up from where he was scraping his knife repeatedly against the sharpener he had packed away in his bag. The queen winced every time the sound of steel scraping against steel assaulted her ears. "His issues have issues. I wouldn't waste my time trying to figure him out. Best anyone can do is just avoid him and hope he leaves you alone."

"How do you know him?"

He glanced at her, seeming to mull over his answer before looking back at the fire. "How's that saying go? Know thy enemy? Their hideout is a couple miles away from that town Tobias took you to. Him and his gang usually operate mainly in that area, only leaving when going on a raid. Much like Toby and the townsfolk, I'm familiar with where the bandits are squatting, so I've had my fair share of run-ins with the lot."

"Do you think they're ever going to catch up with us?"

"Honestly, I really don't know...but if we keep moving forward and only stop when necessary, that should keep them from heading us off. If we all stay on middle ground, I should be able to get us out of any jams we might get into because of them. We still have a few days of horseback to go, but after we reach the halfway point of our little road trip, I should be able to get us a shortcut by ship which will knock a few days off-"

Elsa's head perked up at what Logan had said, but not with excitement.

"After we dock again, the rest of the trip should go smoothly. Assuming of course that we don't-"

"Ship?" She echoed, cutting him off. "Did you say ship?"

There was an awkward pause in the air as Logan looked at her. "Uh, yeah, I said ship. I know a docking port in this kingdom where a buddy of mine lives. He should be able to help us hitch a ride on a ship that trades with Arendelle."

"You never said anything about going out to _sea_ ," She pointed out with trepidation in her voice. Her heart started to beat a little faster and she could feel the fabric of her gloves growing stiff with cold. "The bandits didn't take me on a ship. I-I would've remembered. Why do we have to go on a ship?"

Logan blinked at her owlishly, noticing how she was starting to get worked up. "I just said it was a shortcut-"

"I'm not going on any ship, that wasn't part of our agreement," She snapped, surprising him.

Logan's eyes narrowed at her tone of voice, "Our _agreement_ was that I would take you back to Arendelle. The question of how I was going to do that never came up."

Elsa shook her head, acutely aware that she was acting a little irrational, but unable to stop herself. She stood up from the log and put her foot down (figuratively speaking, of course).

"I said no," She declared. "I'm not going on any ship."

Logan let out a frustrated groan as he stood up from the log too. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't realize that sailing was going to be another one of your bizarre hang-ups, but you said you wanted to get back to Arendelle as soon as possible and this is the quickest way. We're not even going to be that far out into open sea. We'll be on the water for a day, just _one_ day, and after we dock, there'll be several different paths we can take to Arendelle instead of just the one. We'll have a much better chance at shaking the bandits, for good."

It made sense. Of course it did. It made complete sense.

However, Elsa couldn't stop herself from focusing on the "ship" part of his plan. She hated ships. Her parents died five years ago on a ship. They died sailing the ocean to a formal event. They died in the middle of a violent storm, the dark waves of the sea swallowing their ship whole, leaving no known survivors behind. If there was one thing Elsa learned from that horrible experience, it was that nature was unpredictable and unconcerned with the fleshy creatures that inhabited its world. The way in which her parents perished bred a brand new fear in Elsa. A fear of the ocean.

After her parents died, Elsa had absolutely no interest in stepping a single foot on a ship.

When they were planning the wedding, Anna had broached the subject of maybe spending her and Kristoff's honeymoon traveling. The young princess loved the idea of jumping aboard a ship and visiting different coasts from different lands, exploring new places and meeting new people, but Elsa had shot down the idea the second it left her sister's mouth. It wasn't something Anna had her heart set on, but Elsa could still see the flash of disappointment in her eyes when she told her sister no. It hurt Elsa to say no. She had always done her best to give Anna whatever she wanted, to give her and Kristoff the perfect wedding. The queen wasn't opposed to Anna traveling far away for her honeymoon, but she couldn't approve of Anna going anywhere by ship.

She always had this fear, this unsettling image inside her head, every time she thought about either her or Anna getting on a ship and sailing out to sea. The image would start off beautiful enough, with the breathtaking scenery of the open, endless sea. The sun would be shining overhead and the wind would be blowing through the sails, but the peacefulness wouldn't last long. Black storm clouds would come out of nowhere and shroud them in darkness as lightning replaced the sun. They would be caught in the middle of a raging storm, just like their parents, with the sea crashing harshly against the sides of the vessel, threatening to capsize and drown the people on board. Elsa would reach out to her sister and hold her close as they fought to keep their balance. Her powers would react and spiral out of control. Her ice would converge around her and Anna, freezing them both in a block of ice. They would fight to break free, but the storm would knock them overboard and send them into the water where they would sink down into eternal darkness and join their parents in a graveyard at the bottom of the ocean.

As foolish as it was, she couldn't see past her fear and realize how much a shortcut would benefit them. And she couldn't stop and take the time to think about it rationally because every second that passed with the idea of going out to sea plaguing her mind, Elsa felt her powers build deep inside her, ready to burst free at the first opportunity.

"I'm sorry," She shook her head again. "But I can't. I can't go on a ship."

"And why not?" Logan asked, his tone cutting and his arms folded across his chest.

"It's..it's complicated. I can't really explain..."

She risked casting a regretful look at Logan, but the man shook his head and turned away from her with a scoff.

"Unbelievable."

He began to walk off, only stopping to pick up his knife from the ground and put it back in its holster before continuing on. Elsa watched as he moved to leave camp and head off into the surrounding forest.

"Where are you going?" She called out to him.

He didn't reply as he disappeared behind a cluster of bushes.

~O~

Logan backtracked to the main trail and walked along the dirt path, kicking at the rocks on the ground while mumbling under his breath. He had his hands shoved into the pockets of his pants and his shoulders hunched up almost to his ears to ward off the cold breeze that was starting to blow in.

He would eventually turn around and make his way back to camp, but he needed to sulk for a little while without having Elsa nearby, watching him with wide, blue eyes. He needed some time to himself to understand what had just happened.

Sugar confused him more than anybody he had ever known. In his experience, people were always straightforward and easy to understand, and when they weren't, that usually meant they were lying or trying to pull some kind of trick on him, in which case he would deal with them accordingly, but Blondie was difficult to get a read on. She didn't look like much, but he just _knew_ there was something funny about her. Whatever it was, it rubbed raw on his nerves and sat heavily underneath his skin like a tick.

He had no idea where that recent episode came from. He goes out of his way to come up with a faster route to Arendelle that would help them avoid the bandits better, and the woman doesn't want to take it? He practically hands her a better solution to their biggest problem on a silver platter and she says no? What kind of game was she playing at? She had just spent half a day talking about her home and her family like they were the one and only saving grace she had in her entire world. She told him repeatedly how important it was that she return home as soon as possible so she could warn them about the approaching danger. Why would she say no to an easy shortcut?

It was obvious that the idea of sailing bothered her very much, but from what Logan knew of her so far, he didn't expect her to bow down to that fear. He didn't peg her as someone who was ruled by it. She wasn't the most competent person he had ever known, especially under pressure, but she had guts, and he admired her for that. There weren't many people out there that are willing to do what Elsa has done to get back to a kingdom that, honestly, probably wasn't even looking for her. She may be a close friend of the princess, but Logan couldn't imagine any kingdom going out of its way to look for a simple chambermaid when they could easily get a replacement. Royal politics just didn't work that way.

Still though, the woman kept at it.

Up until then, he had thought Elsa knew what she was up against - _who_ she was up against, but now, he wasn't so sure. He was _not_ kidding around when he said Dag was a screwed up person, and the men who followed him weren't much better.

The bandit gang that had been chasing Elsa called themselves "The Demon's Fang". Not exactly Logan's first choice as a name, especially since Demon Fang Gang _wasn't_ the original name for the group, but Dag had changed it when he came into power after the original leader died. The gang was more of a _clan_ back then. A clan Logan had no qualms being a part of.

But things were different now - had been different, and just like the name would imply, it wasn't exactly a collection of men a young woman like Elsa would want to be followed by. She was right about one thing, though. Dag would eventually realize she wasn't Princess Anna, and when he did, he would kill her without hesitation if he had her in his possession. He didn't hold on to anything that wasn't useful, and that included people. And Logan would definitely be in some trouble of his own for helping Elsa.

Despite how he acted, this wasn't just some run-of-the-mill escort mission for him. He was at just as much risk as Elsa was and it would be in both their best interests if she would just get over herself and get on a goddamn ship. After everything they had been through so far, and what they still had to face, sailing should be the _least_ of her worries.

In any case, there wasn't much he could do about it now. They were still a few days off from the kingdom he planned to hitch a boat ride from and they still had the bandits to worry about. So until then, he would do what he could to try and convince Elsa to change her mind. If she didn't, then he would have no choice than to come up with some sort of ultimatum for her. He wasn't quite sure what that would be, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

In real time, Logan didn't know how long he had spent walking along the trail, running around in circles inside his head, but by the time he finally pulled his head out of his ass and noticed his surroundings, it was too late to do anything evasive when he spotted three figures standing at the base of a fork in the road, about twenty feet in front of him. He could see the red and black of their uniforms even with the sun now completely set. He stopped abruptly in his tracks and let out a groan.

It was another trio of bandits, different than the ones he took down in the market. He didn't recognize the two cronies hanging back, but he knew the one standing in the front. He was a dark-skinned, Hispanic man with curly black hair, undistinguished brown eyes, and a closely cut mustache and goatee. He stood tall despite his short height, easily establishing his status as patrol leader with his arrogant way of holding himself; shoulders cocked back like a preening rooster and his head held high.

"Logan!" The Spaniard called out with a toothy grin on his face, opening his arms out wide like he was about to greet an old friend. It made Logan want to laugh bitterly. Him and Joaquin went way back, but they were anything but friends.

The bandit was Joaquin Chavez, Dag's current right hand man and probably the most levelheaded member of the entire bunch. He had been with the bandit gang for years, originally hailing from Spain. Although the gang had traveled far and wide, picking up new members of all shapes and sizes along the way, Joaquin was the most exotic of the immigrants that ever joined the gang, and also the most skilled with a sword - being the self-proclaimed, master swordsman that he was. Logan eyed the rapier sheathed to other man's belt, his weapon of choice.

It would be stupid of him to think that his run-in with Joaquin was anything other than intentional, no matter how the man tried to act otherwise. The trio had either been waiting for Logan to appear, or they had been on their way to his and Elsa's campsite. Someone in the last town the two travelers had stopped in must've tipped the bandits off.

Seeing no other choice than to accept their approach, Logan straightened his back and stood defensively with his hands curled into fists at his sides.

"Out of all the trails in the forest - out of all the forests in this big, lovely rock we call home - we happen to run into _you_. Fancy that!"

The man spoke animatedly with a mixed accent of Spanish origin and English idioms. He was a charming bastard when he aimed to be, Logan would give him that, but Joaquin was even more pretentious with speech than he was.

"Yeah, fancy that," Logan replied dryly, still staring down the trio with obvious distrust.

Joaquin's brown-eyed gaze flickered across Logan's sour expression, taking note of the younger man's hostility. He didn't seem too put off by it, though. It only made his smirk climb higher on his face as more teasing remarks pooled inside his mind. Back in the day, they always made a game of pushing each others buttons, seeing which one of them would lash out first. He was curious to see if Logan could still play as well as he used to.

He took a step forward and raised a hand to Logan, wagging a finger at him with an amused chuckle. "You know, when my boys came staggering back into camp with their tails between their legs and blood leaking from their faces, I figured you might've had something to do with it."

Logan didn't respond, but the Spaniard didn't expect him to. The younger man always had to be so negative that way. Joaquin never understood that kind of attitude. The kid used to always walk around with a big chip on his shoulder like some tortured soul. There wasn't much of an age difference between the two of them and neither had been alive long enough to accumulate any _real_ ghosts, so he never understood why Logan had to be so bitter. They hadn't stood across from each other in years, but Joaquin could tell he hadn't changed one bit.

"I know it was a bit of a stretch to assume you were the one to beat up my boys since until two days ago, I was convinced you've been _dead_ for almost three years now, but when they told me what happened - how a ragged-haired pretty boy with a pissy temper, swooped in and took away our little blonde _joya,_ I couldn't help but think we were visited by the ghost of bandithood past. But here you are, _vivo y bien_! I can hardly believe my eyes!"

"What do you want, Joaquin?" Logan asked, cutting to the crux of their encounter. His eyes kept skimming the treeline behind the three bandits, searching for signs of any reinforcements that might be hiding behind the dwindling leafage. He could feel the muscles in his legs twitching with the desire to bolt back to camp and make sure Joaquin hadn't gotten the jump on him and attacked Elsa. The thought had him cursing himself in his head for stupidly leaving the girl alone.

"Message for you, from the _jefe_. I'm sure you remember him."

"How could I forget?" He replied with mock banter. "I would ask how Dag's been doing lately, but I think I can guess."

Joaquin tsked him. "You know he doesn't like it when outsiders interfere with his business. He knows it's you, Logan. Don't ask me how, but he does."

"I'd be disappointed if he didn't," Logan shot back coolly, trying to maintain a sense of apathy to hide the fact that his hackles were very much raised. His mind immediately drifted to Tobias, the only person who could've possibly told Dag that Logan had become involved in their little situation with Elsa. The old man was crotchety, but he would've never told Dag anything, not willingly. Telling the bandit leader would've been a potential death sentence for both Elsa and Logan. Tobias valued his morals above everything. The possibility that Dag had gotten to him made Logan worry for the old man.

"He understands that there's been a mix-up with the girl. He knows you didn't mean to stand between him and his property and he's willing to let it slide if you hand her over to us now without any more violence or protest. It's a fair offer, if I say so myself."

Logan's fists tightened at his sides as his anger mounted inside his chest. He didn't know which part of that he should be more ticked off by. The fact that Joaquin actually thought Logan was stupid enough to fall for such a poor ruse of handing over Elsa, like Dag was actually some kind of tolerant individual, capable of feeling basic human emotions and was willing to ignore Logan's defiance, even though they all knew there was no goddamn misunderstanding. Or the fact that the Spaniard had just referred to Elsa as "property".

He didn't care how difficult the fair-haired woman could be - _people weren't objects_.

This whole thing was bullshit. Dag didn't do parley. If he couldn't get what he wanted by slashing and burning everything in his path, then he opted to using lying and manipulation. If Logan had to guess, Joaquin and his men were alone; sent to scout ahead while the rest of the group hung back, which meant they weren't right on top of him and Elsa and they still had a chance to avoid a direct confrontation. Logan had seen first hand what Dag could do when he strived to do his worst, and it was enough to never want to get involved with the man again. He wasn't going to risk it. Any sugared words were infectious snake bites in disguise. The first chance he got, Logan was going to book it back to camp, get Elsa and their supplies, and get the hell out of there.

"If this is another one of his power trips, I rather you come at me now. I'm in no mood for games. If this is going to happen, then do it now. Otherwise, piss off. Your ugly mugs aggravate me," Logan challenged darkly.

The two men stared each other down, both dominant creatures, alpha males - waiting for the moment when the precarious balance between them finally tipped over and they were thrown into action. Logan had a small advantage over the Spaniard, being inches taller than him, but Joaquin stood proud regardless, blatantly disregarding the fact that Logan had always been a better fighter than him, and could easily take him on should they get into it. He had seen the state his men had been in when they returned from the market and knew he didn't have the advantage of numbers. Logan clearly hadn't let himself fall out of practice.

Joaquin was proud, but he wasn't stupid. He stepped down first, knowing anything less would be counterproductive.

"Alright," the Spaniard smiled, holding his hands up in a poor attempt at coming off as disarming. "I'll tell him you weren't interested then."

Logan rested his hand on the hilt of his knife, not expecting that to be the end of it.

To his surprise though, it was.

Instead of attacking like he expected him to, Joaquin only backed up with his hands still raised in front of his chest and an arrogant smirk on his face. He smiled like he knew something Logan didn't and found it amusing that Logan didn't take him up on his boss' _gracious_ offer. It was a look Logan wanted to punch off his cocky face. However, it seemed like Joaquin truly intended to leave. That was the important thing. He motioned for his two men to fall back and mount their horses.

"You've always been a sly _perro_ , haven't you, Logan? I'd keep the little _joya_ close if I were you," Joaquin chided almost playfully, still unable to resist fighting Logan for the last word.

"And I'd keep walking away if I were _you,_ " Logan threw back.

Joaquin chuckled mockingly again as he finally turned on his heel and walked towards his horse. Logan didn't move from his spot until all three bandits were riding down the road, going back wherever they came from.

Only when they were completely gone from sight, did he turn himself around and retrace his steps back into the forest. He pushed through the bushes and trees of the forest as quickly as he could without seeming erratic, inching closer to the speck of orange light in the distance that signified their makeshift camp.

"Change of plans," He said as soon as he stepped into the light of the campfire. "Pack everything up."

Elsa looked up from where she was staring intently at the ground, startled by his abrupt reappearance. "What?"

"We're not staying out here tonight. There's a town about an hour down the road. We'll find an inn and stay there for the night."

His tone was curt and final, not leaving much room for argument as he grabbed the first pack he could find and started a pile of supplies near their horses. He expected her to start asking questions about his sudden desire to pack up and leave after only stopping a little while ago, but again, to his surprise, he didn't meet any resistance.

There was a moment there where she looked up at him with her mouth open and her jaw slightly quivering, stuck between the motion of speaking and keeping quiet. He could tell that she wanted to say something to him, could see it in her eyes, but in the end whatever it was could apparently wait until later. She closed her mouth with silent resolve as she abruptly stood from the log and began packing up the supplies closest to her.

Somewhere in the back of his head, Logan noted how strange it was that she didn't protest at this sudden, and seemingly random, move of his. Granted, over the past few days she had gotten better at doing what he asked of her, but not without questioning him about it first. If he wasn't so preoccupied with packing up their stuff and avoiding a potential ambush, he would have commented on her new compliance. He wasn't sure whether to take it as a good thing or a bad thing, since there was never a shortage of cold shoulders between them. It was a productive thing, though. So that had to count for something.

Without a word, the two moved about their campsite and collected their supplies. They established a system of packing up their stuff. Elsa would bring the packs over into a neat pile near their horses and Logan would load them up one by one. He did his best not to appear agitated or disturbed by what just happened. He didn't want to alarm the woman. The last thing he needed was for her to start panicking. It was really going to suck navigating to that town in almost complete darkness and he didn't need Elsa firing off question after question when he was nearly a hundred percent sure Joaquin's patrol was the only one close enough to cause them any problems.

The strangeness didn't stop, though. While he was working, Logan could feel Elsa's eyes on him the entire time. Her glances were almost covert enough for him to miss, but they were frequent. Frequent enough for him to get the sensation that someone was watching him. He didn't return the glances, knowing she would just look away as soon as he did. He only kept working. It wasn't until they were almost done that Logan realized there was something really wrong.

Elsa had been walking over with another stack of supplies bundled in her arms. She moved with swift strides towards the horses, peeking over the side of her stack every now and again to make sure she wasn't going to run into anything. At one point though, she must've missed a rock or maybe a protruding tree root, because in one moment she was walking without trouble towards Logan and the horses, but then in the next, her foot snagged on something halting and she stumbled forward with a surprised yelp. Logan reacted without thought when he saw her supplies fly from her arms and scatter across the ground from the corner of his eye. He quickly turned and rushed forward, dodging the rolled up blanket sailing towards his head and grabbing Elsa's forearms, steadying her and keeping her from falling face first on to the ground.

"Whoa, careful," He said, taking the blunt of her weight so she could correct her footing.

Her reaction to his assistance had been a little less than appreciative.

As soon as she regained her balance and was stable enough to stand on her own, the woman practically yanked hers arms out of Logan's hands, not even waiting two seconds for him to remove them himself. He blinked at her in surprise and confusion, but she didn't raise her eyes to meet his. She only shoved past him like he wasn't even there and collected up her fallen supplies. The movement and cold body language was explicit, intentionally done to show him that she didn't want him anywhere near her.

Now he was the one eyeing her. The silence between them held as Elsa straightened out her cloak and hoisted herself on to her horse where she proceeded to wait for Logan to finish up with a tight frown on her face, putting a lot of bodily effort into keeping her eyes forward and off of him. He opened his mouth a couples times to say something to her, just like she had done to him, but when nothing came to mind, he closed it again and continued to work. He couldn't help but feel a little out of the loop. He couldn't figure out where Elsa's sudden animosity came from.

It could've had something to do with the whole ship thing and Logan's less than polite reaction to it, but he had an inkling that it wasn't.

Something had changed in the short time he had been gone. He couldn't quite pin it down, but he knew something was up. Sugar had a stiffness to her spine and a refusal to meet his gaze that was all too familiar. Her skittishness had returned and he could feel the tension in the air returning, so thick he could cut it with his knife.

Something new was brewing in Elsa's head and Logan had a feeling it had something to do with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Blegh, I didn't really like this chapter. It turned out way longer than I thought it would.
> 
> One thing with the language used in this chapter. I only speak English, so I will be primarily using Google Translate to help me with any foreign language words. In this chapter, Joaquin was using Spanish words, which I believe are correct. I won't be doing any full sentences in other languages, just because I don't want to risk screwing up and offending someone - and also, there really isn't any need for me to use full sentences.
> 
> As for the bandit gang name - kinda cheesy. I couldn't really think of anything clever, so I had to use a name generator. I thought about using something more Norwegian, since that's where Frozen takes place, but the bandit gang doesn't originally come from Norway, so I couldn't do that. I'm not so sure yet where, exactly, the gang/clan originates from, but they're more nomadic than anything, so I gave them a more generalized name. Plus, how creative can bandits be when naming their gang? Bandits are known for their stealing and raiding - not their creativity. So get off my back.
> 
> ~Scorpiofreak~


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